


CIs vs Agents

by Quinis



Series: Twins [2]
Category: Chuck (TV), White Collar
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Lots of responses to Prompts, One Shot Collection, Secret Identity, Spies & Secret Agents, Twins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-21
Updated: 2014-06-01
Packaged: 2018-01-16 11:22:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 50,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1345654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinis/pseuds/Quinis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On one hand: you have a CI. On the other: you have an Agent. Another series of one-shots revolving around the oldest con in the book.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This White Collar/Chuck crossover features Bryce and Neal as twins and this collection of stories comes second (update-wise). The first collection is 'Spies vs Cons'.
> 
> Copied from the intro to 'Spies vs Cons'  
> What would happen if Neal had a twin? There have been times when people have been found innocent of a crime because they couldn't prove which twin did it. As for how Bryce is alive, lets say Orion saved him (where was Orion while his son was fighting the Ring? Seriously?)
> 
> Basically, I'm going to write White Collar/Chuck crossovers featuring twins Neal and Bryce (Neal is older). Most will be one-shots which can stand alone (I hope). They will vary in length. Additional stories will be added at random. Feel free to post prompts of what you want to see; no guarantees though. 
> 
> Just a bit of background info: unless otherwise stated for the prompt, Neal and Bryce both grew up in Witsec as Danny Brooks and Bryce Brooks. When they were fourteen, their mother remarried; a nice man with the last name 'Larkin'. The three Brooks family members took the last name 'Larkin', henceforth known as Danny/Neal Larkin and Bryce Larkin. Later, when Neal learned the the truth about his birth father (he's a murderer and is still alive) he left and became Neal Caffrey. Bryce stayed and went to Stanford as Bryce Larkin.  
> Unless otherwise stated, Chuck has met Neal (as Danny) at least once.
> 
>  
> 
> From Saj_te_Gyuhyall:  
> "Oooh, and have you thought of doing a fic where Neal and Bryce have one of those really intense quasi-supernatural (or actually supernatural!) twin bonds? They feel each other's pain, have a language all their own, may or may not have a mental connection?"
> 
> The made up words Neal and Bryce say to each other basically means; I’m okay, I’m here.

** **

**TTC – The Twin Connection**

* * *

 

A white room. His side stinging. Shot, he had been shot. Chuck was there, telling him to hold on. But, it hurt and he was tired

He gave Chuck the means to save himself and then sunk into darkness...

* * *

_...sorry, Chuck... Neal..._

* * *

... Neal jolted out of his sleep. Air! He needed air! And his heart; he raised a hand to his chest to check, it was still beating.

He looked around. He was still in his cell.

Why did it feel like his heart had stopped? Even as he thought it, he knew the answer.

Bryce. His twin. He had always been able to feel his brother. The only exception had been a year ago, he had been shot. Neal saw the face of the man who shot him standing over him before their connection cut out, only for it to come bursting back hours later in a flash of chaos and panic.

Neal waited. And waited. He waited until the guards came in the morning. But, the connection didn't come back.

There was an empty place in his heart when Kate came to break up with him and he couldn't take it. So, he ran.

Bryce would have killed him. But, Bryce was dead.

* * *

He sat there with the bottle just letting himself drown in the airy coldness that Bryce left behind inside him. Without Bryce, his life was falling to pieces. He felt incomplete, useless.

And then Peter was there. He said what Neal imagined Bryce would, "they're going to give you another four years for this," and Neal reached out.

The next few months while his first sentence ran out were difficult. Neal was quiet, focused inside himself, hoping for some sign that Bryce was still alive.

The connection remained severed.

And Peter agreed to his deal.

* * *

June was nice and he saw Mozzie again. He helped put criminals behind bars and played nice with the Feds. He met Peter's wife and they became friends and even Mozzie liked her.

But, he couldn't forget the hole in his chest. The airy coldness that Bryce left behind. He hid it behind the conman's mask as he searched for Kate.

Two months into his deal with Peter and the FBI, something changed. On the outside, it was the same as usual. Peter picked Neal up and took him to the FBI building where he worked his 9-to-5.

However, a little before lunch and while sitting at his desk, Neal felt a 'pop'. It seemed to echo in his ears as the space Bryce's death left inside him filled in.

Neal froze and focused inwards. It wasn't just filled in, it was live. The connection was back! He closed his eyes and let himself just rest in the signals he was getting from Bryce.

Asleep... he was asleep but, soon he would wake.

"Oi, Caffrey!"

Neal opened his eyes to see Lauren Cruz standing over him.

"You're here to work, not sleep," she warned him, "and what are you looking so smug about?"

Through the connection, he felt a twitch of amusement. Yes, Bryce would be awake soon. Until then, Neal would give him a show.

"I had a bit of free time so I solved your case," he said, holding up the file. He had actually taken it from her desk earlier because it was more interesting than another mortgage fraud case but, it had also only taken a short amount of time to solve.

Lauren glared at him and snatched the file back.

* * *

Bryce lifted up to consciousness slowly with a smile on his lips. Neal was okay and out of prison. He blinked sluggishly as he took in his own surroundings.

It looked like he was in a hospital.

"Good, Agent Larkin, you're awake."

Bryce blinked again. A voice? He looked around and spotted the screen mounted into the wall before him.

"You've been in a coma," the woman on the screen explained, "do you remember what happened?"

Ah, he would know that red, tightly tied bun and commanding tone anywhere.

"General Beckman?" he questioned. A moment later his throat went dry and sour, his voice also croaking from disuse.

"Do you remember what happened, Agent Larkin?" she questioned again.

Bryce sighed and closed his eyes as his eyelids drooped. He had been shot again. And this time, Chuck had been there.

Five more minutes sleep, then he would answer...

* * *

He was coming! Neal bounced into work, his good mood affecting everyone around.

Elizabeth was safe, Keller was in jail and Peter had forgiven him for getting his wife involved; although Bryce suggested that maybe Peter was also mad about Neal lying to him, to which Neal reminded Bryce that he didn't lie to Peter.

And with Neal's commutation hearing coming up, Bryce had finally decided to visit. They had decided it partially because Bryce was about to inform Team Bartowski, now Carmichael Industries, that he was alive and if they didn't react to the news well, he would have a place to run to. But, it had gone well, Neal knew. Chuck had screamed like a little girl in glee and Morgan had almost fainted. Casey hadn't shot him and Sarah was tentatively pleased, although worried that he might end up shot again.

Neal couldn't blame her.

"Neal, stop," Peter said, reaching over and placing his hand over Neal's. He had been tapping the pen incessantly against the table in his nervous joy. It had been years since he had last seen Bryce. Years since they last stood in front of each other. Only a few more minutes...

"Caffrey!" Hughes barked, although he wasn't scowling, "if visiting agents make you this nervous, you can go home."

Neal instantly stilled. He wanted to see Bryce sooner rather than later.

"Should I be worried?" Peter asked him, in a slightly joking tone.

Neal thought about that for a moment but shook his head. Bryce was a good agent and he had a feeling that he and Peter would like each other.

Peter and Chuck would get along better though because everyone liked Chuck.

"They're here," Neal said bouncing out of his seat and heading towards the door before anyone could stop him. He could feel Bryce coming up the elevator. The elevator doors opened and Bryce hurried out and through the clear doors, as if he had been here many times before, and right into a tight bear hug from Neal.

"Irauw, huru?" Bryce asked quietly when they finally pulled apart.

"Hasa, uceirr," Neal responded, before pulling Bryce into another quick hug. It was really him! Really here! He could see himself; although with slightly longer hair.

They could feel their emotions bouncing off each other and they didn't need to speak to communicate.

Behind them, Chuck had finished introducing his team and Peter had done the same.

"Well, now we know why Bryce insisted on that silly hat," Casey commented.

"Stop that," Chuck said, "the hat is cool."

"I thought he went a little overboard with the hat and suit," Sarah said, "but I guess he's adhering to Neal's taste."

"Probably," Peter responded in a serious-sounding tone.

"Neal was given his outfit," Diana pointed out, "so how did Bryce get his?"

"I gave it to him. June didn't mind."

"Neal gave to me. June didn't mind," they said at the same time.

"Jones, Berrigan, show the visiting agents around," Hughes ordered, "I'll be in my office."

"I'm good here," Bryce said. He turned to Neal's desk, knowing right away which was his, and started moving things around. He was interested to see how Neal decorated his desk, since he hadn't had one as Neal Caffrey before.

Neal was sending out waves of 'no, Bryce, don't touch that' that only Bryce seemed to pick up. Too bad he didn't intend to follow them.

Bryce sent back waves of 'nope' and 'let me look'.

Neal thought about it for a moment before sighing and sending waves of 'at least put everything back where you found it. Surely they teach you that as a spy'.

Bryce chuckled and started looking through the files.

Everyone else had watched the silent exchange in interest. To them, no words had been passed and Bryce hadn't even looked up from the desk but, they had no doubt that a conversation had taken place.

"So, Neal," Peter said, "have you told Bryce about your commutation hearing?"

"Yeah," Neal responded, "that's why he'll be staying here until the hearing."

"After which I'll head back to my team," Bryce finished. Really, he was heading to his new cover as a Nerd Herder at the Buy More. Beckman wanted him to spend a few months working with Carmichael Industries.

"You'll get to meet Sara then," Peter commented in an offhanded manner.

"Already did," Bryce responded at the same time at Neal. He finished with, "she cornered me in Paris once because she thought I was Neal."

Neal sent out waves of 'we dated, broke up and now are just friends' and Bryce responded with 'been there, done that with my own Sarah too'.

"Stop that," Peter said and they both turned to look at him. "I know you're communicating silently somehow and I would prefer it if you used words."

Neal glanced at Bryce. Waves of 'that's so Peter' mixed with 'that's a first' emanated from him. Bryce had to agree. Surprisingly enough, it was the first time someone had told them use words around them instead of their 'twin thing'. Their mother hadn't really noticed, Ellen hadn't minded and they hadn't really made friends until they were apart.

They didn't even know if it was possible to switch it off.

"Words," Peter reminded them, "or I'll worry that you're planning something."

"And you won't be able to sleep until you know?" Neal quipped.

Peter smiled and nodded.

"You know how El hates it when I toss and turn."

Bryce and Neal snorted as one.

"We'll try," Bryce started in a light tone.

"For El's sake," Neal finished in the same tone.


	2. ILF - In the Line of Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From KeJae at Fanfiction.net:  
> "Have you done one with Fowler yet? I read a story last night where Peter and Neal had Fowler attempting to kill them...I thought something like that would be a nice time for Bryce to show up and when Fowler went after him, he could pull a very un-Neal reaction of some sort."
> 
> I tried?

**In the Line of Fire**

* * *

"He's off the anklet and that's not all... he's got a gun."

Mozzie hung up and once again looked at the bullets lined up on the table. He didn't want his friend to cross the line he swore never to cross and the only way to stop him was to call the Suit. It didn't stop him from feeling like a traitor though.

* * *

But, if he had been there earlier...

* * *

Neal came out of the shower, feeling better. He wondered if, maybe, he could trust Peter to catch Fowler. It wasn't like he could go to view the music box while his visitor was here.

Was here. Neal looked around his apartment but there was no sign of Bryce. And the gun he had left on the table was gone. Neal jumped for his phone and dialled the number listed under 'Mr Anderson'.

"Bryce!" he called out as soon as the line connected, "what are you doing?" He could hear the sounds of New York traffic through the phone.

"This 'Fowler' is FBI, correct?" Bryce said in a serious tone, "and he's working his own agenda which he used you for and killed Kate?" And when Neal had told him that, Bryce had suggested that he take a shower or bath or something to calm him down. Mistakenly, Neal had listened to him.

"Yes, but-"

"I'm going to talk to him." They both knew that Bryce didn't mean a conversation.

"No! You can't torture him!" Neal insisted.

"I was thinking more along the lines of using the gun you brought," Bryce said, "you did intend to use it, right?"

"Well, yes, but! Peter's there!"

"Not a problem," Bryce responded, ending the call.

"This is exactly why I didn't tell you about Fowler!" Neal huffed into the phone. He knew how his brother felt about agents who didn't do their jobs. Bryce used it as an indication of a connection to Fulcrum and the Ring, even though they had been disbanded a few months earlier, the CIA was still cleaning up the stragglers. And Neal had been worried that Bryce would connect Fowler's quest for the music box as a sign of him being in touch with one of those organisations.

Neal pulled the key to his anklet out of his wallet. There was no way he was going to let Bryce do this alone.

* * *

Getting in was easy, Bryce just flashed his CIA badge and passed the guard a fifty. Neal would be appalled, with the flashing the badge part, just because it was almost like cheating. Not that he minded.

Fowler had locked himself up in another room so he had to up to a room above and a few down in order to get in. He probably could have come up with a better plan than just using a banner to fling himself through the window, like some kind of stuntman, if the female agent of Burke's hadn't been on his tail. Casey could say what he liked but the FBI wasn't slow.

He smashed through the window and held the gun aimed at Fowler's head. Beyond the door, he could hear Peter yelling and trying to bang the door down. He didn't care though, all he needed from Fowler was to know why he was messing in Neal's life and why he had killed Kate.

* * *

Neal jumped out of the taxi and ran up the steps. He flashed his invitation to the guard who made a comment about going home to get it and how he shouldn't have bothered. The guard also called him 'Agent Larkin' which only spurred Neal up the stairs. He followed the sound of splintering wood and Peter's voice.

"Bryce, don't shoot!" he burst out, dashing into the room.

"Neal?" Bryce questioned in surprise and Neal knew then that it was a good thing that he hadn't told Bryce about having the key to his anklet.

"What?" Peter gasped, glancing between them both. Even Fowler looked confused. "Neal?"

Neal nodded, his breath coming in short gasps after running all the way up here.

"This is getting messy," Bryce commented. He moved closer to Fowler and held the gun up to his head.

Peter pulled his gun out and pointed it at Bryce.

"You shoot him and I'll have to take you in."

Bryce smirked. It wouldn't work on him. The Director would be angry and annoyed but he was too important an agent to lose. Agents in the right position could get away with murder, that's how it worked. That's what scared him about Fulcrum and the Ring; they would be able to do whatever they liked, just because they were protected.

"You can't just let him walk away from this," Bryce said to Peter and Neal.

"He won't," Peter tried to reassure him, but he wasn't listening.

"Neal?"

Neal glanced between Peter and Bryce. He wasn't comfortable with Bryce standing with a gun so close to Peter. If he missed; part of him pointed out that Bryce didn't miss, but, if he missed, he could shoot Peter.

And Peter was still holding a gun at Bryce. He had slightly lowered it, trusting Neal to talk his brother down but, it was still there and reminding Neal why he hated guns.

Peter's face was insistent and Neal could almost hear him saying that he could find his justice in the system. Neal didn't know about that, not yet. But, he wasn't about to let Bryce take the fall for this either. He might not get a murder charge but this could damage his career.

"Don't shoot him," Neal said to Bryce, his voice calm but trembling. "you're an agent, Bryce. You have more faith in the system than I do. Do your job and take him in."

There was a moment where Bryce looked like he was about to shoot but, he lowered the gun.

"Fine," he said and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Peter walked up to him, holstering his own gun and pulling out a pair of handcuffs.

"Here," he said, handing them to Bryce. "You can do the honours. As long as we take him to the FBI for questioning."

Bryce took the offered handcuffs and gave Peter a harsh questioning look which softened a few moments later as he realised that he meant it. Neal gave him a shaky smile, his eyes constantly and nervously flicking to Fowler.

Fowler came quietly with only a harsh 'fine' grumbled in response to Peter's insistence that he tell them everything. Once Fowler was on his way to the FBI holding cells, Neal scolded Bryce for going after him, Bryce scolded Neal for following and Peter scolded them both.


	3. WBM - Welcome to the Buy More!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Saj_te_Gyuhyall:  
> "How about the way Peter finds out about Bryce is that he has to get his laptop fixed while in Burbank and just randomly picks THAT STORE? *G* And he only finds out that Neal has a twin, not that he's a spy, that's for the NEXT meeting... Over a body."
> 
> In this one, Chuck doesn't know Bryce has a twin and he's never met Neal/Danny.

**Welcome to the Buy More!**

* * *

Peter didn't want to do this. The store was large and bright; very green, he also noted sarcastically. Had he been back in New York, he would have just called the FBI IT guys to come fix his laptop rather than walk into this place.

But, he wasn't in New York. He was in Burbank and, as El pointed out when he called her, it was bad etiquette to get another office's agents to fix his laptop. Yes, bad etiquette; that was why he wasn't taking it to the FBI to fix. And not because he accidentally spilled coffee over it.

He didn't know about her suggestion though. El told him that the Burbank Buy More had a good staff of 'Nerd Herders' who would fix his laptop. She had a friend who would swear by them; as long as you asked for a 'Chuck Bartoswki'. That was enough to make Peter's gut activate; it told him that this was a bad idea.

He just had to get this fixed and then leave. The Nerd Herd desk was easy enough to find, being a circular desk in the middle of the store with a large sign above it.

Rudely, the person manning the desk was sitting in the chair with his back to Peter, relining and chatting away with a man of Indian descent possessing shoulder length, slimy-looking dark hair who took one look at him and ran away.

"Hi," Peter said as he placed the laptop bag on the desk. "I'd like to speak with Chuck Bartowski."

The chair spun around, revealing a man with wavy dark hair parted to the side, blue eyes and a shadow of stubble around his chin and above his mouth. Tucked into his white shirt was an ID proclaiming him to be 'Bryce Larkin'.

 _Neal?_ No, Peter realised, it couldn't be. He had checked Neal tracking data that morning and also right before getting out of the car to walk in here. Neal had been at June's that morning and his data currently said he was at the FBI building in New York.

"I'm sorry, Chuck's out on an off-site install right now," Bryce said, ignoring Peter's discomfort, "but, I may be able to help. Computer problems?" He pulled the laptop case towards him and began to zip it open.

"Uh, yeah," Peter responded as Bryce pulled away from the bag.

"Whoa," he commented, "you spilled coffee on this one, didn't you?"

Peter nodded, his mouth going dry. He looked like Neal, but he didn't speak like Neal.

"I can fix that," he said confidently, "I'll back the data up and give her a good clean and, in a few hours, she'll be good as new."

Peter was relieved about that but, now he had a new concern.

"Do you know this man?" Peter asked, pulling out Neal's photo from his wallet.

Bryce paused for a moment before responding, "no." A lie; Peter knew it was. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you resemble him," Peter pointed out, "the name, Neal Caffrey doesn't mean anything to you?"

"No," Bryce responded. Peter examined him a moment more before pulling out his phone.

"Give me one moment," he requested, dialling Neal's number.

"Hey, Peter!" Neal responded cheerfully, "how's LA?"

"I'm in Burbank," Peter responded, "getting my laptop fixed."

"Yeah, El told me about that," Neal laughed, "tell me, how does someone spill coffee on their laptop?"

"Their friend goes and changes their ringtone to something that sounds like wailing cats," Peter grumbled back.

Neal mused on that for a moment.

"Nope. Wasn't me. Might have been Mozzie, he recently changed my ringtone to some kind of whale call. He calls it the sound of autonomy and free will. Did it sound like whales?"

Peter cursed as he realised he had seen Mozzie right before leaving. The little conman had done it!

"Yes," he growled.

"I sure we can work something out," Neal said before Peter could say anything about wanting to arrest Mozzie for this.

"Then, answer me this," Peter said, seeing a chance, "do you know a guy called 'Bryce Larkin'? He's sitting behind me, probably thinking I'm an idiot."

"I don't see how a phone call is going to change anything," Bryce commented.

There was silence on the other end.

"Neal?" Peter questioned. He could hear the other man breathing heavily.

"Give him the phone," Neal said in a serious tone.

Peter, confused and intrigued, did exactly as Neal asked. Bryce, mostly just confused, took the phone and placed it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! NOT ONLY DID YOU FAKE YOUR DEATH BUT YOU'RE WASTING YOUR TALENTS IN A BUY MORE?" Bryce pulled the phone away as Neal yelled, loud enough for Peter to hear, "YOU HAVEN'T CONTACTED ME IN YEARS AND WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, BRYCE?"

"I could say the same to you," Bryce responded in a level but angry voice, "I didn't even know that you're going by 'Neal Caffrey'. And what are you doing with yourself these days? Still travelling like a vagabond?" Peter was slightly disappointed that he couldn't hear what Neal said to that, his voice dropping down so that it wasn't booming through the phone. Bryce's response was telling though. There was a flash of surprise and then he glanced at Peter. "Why can't you come visit and then we can talk face-to-face?" Pause. "What? A radius? You've got to be joking." Another pause. "Fine. I'll get the story from the coffee laptop guy." Peter had no doubt that Bryce was referring to him and he was slightly insulted; this was why he hadn't taken it to get fixed at the FBI.

"He wants to talk to you," Bryce said, practically shoving the phone in Peter's face. He had a scowl on his face which could rival Neal at his most annoyed and sulky.

Peter took the phone from Bryce, feeling a thrill of terror.

"Neal?" he questioned, expecting an assault or something.

"Congratulations, Peter," Neal said in a tired voice, emotionally drained, "you found my twin brother."

"Twin?" Nothing like that had ever turned up in his search for Neal.

"Yes. I haven't seen the guy in years, last I heard he had been working as an accountant and was shot dead during a bank robbery."

Peter had no idea how to respond to that. Part of him wondered at the absurdity of Neal's life; because _of course_ Neal Caffrey would have a dead long-lost twin who wasn't dead, and another part felt sad for him. They were brothers who hadn't seen each other in years and, now that they had found each other, the only thing keeping them apart was Neal's anklet and deal with the FBI. And it was obvious that Neal cared about his brother; Peter had never heard him yell like that before, it sounded almost like when he scolded Neal but louder.

Maybe he could convince Bryce to visit, once he convinced himself that the Nerd Herder would be a good influence.

* * *

Peter stared at the still-warm body, blood almost hidden on the black shirt but the hole from the bullet disturbingly visible. His gun jumped into his hand as footsteps sounded near him. The shooter stepped into the light, gun in hand.

"Bryce?" he questioned, just the sight of a gun in the man's hands sending his heart beat into overdrive. It was just wrong for someone so like Neal to hold and gun and actually shoot someone.

Even if he had just saved Peter's life.

"Did you get him?" another man asked, popping out from behind a dumpster. This was the Chuck Bartowski that Peter had asked for and hadn't met; he had seen his picture on the employee wall on the way out.

"Yeah," Bryce responded, eying Peter as he walked over to the body and picked up the dead man's gun. He seemed to anticipate the question on Peter's mind, answering it before Peter could ask it, "this man is an internationally renowned assassin. He was supposed to meet Chuck in three hours but it appears he arrived early."

"What?" Peter questioned, not following. What was an assassin doing here? This was the back 'employee only' entrance to the Buy More, not a den of thieves or something.

"Uh, we're CIA," Chuck explained, "we're both agents. Spies."

"Chuck!" Bryce said in a scolding tone.

"What?" Chuck questioned innocently, "he's FBI and he's your brother's friend. A brother I didn't even know you had until today." He muttered that last part under his breath.

"Identical twin brother," Peter informed him. This was all very surreal. Assassins, CIA agents and identical twins weren't part of the FBI job description. "Neal doesn't know about your job, does he?"

"No," Bryce responded, "it was my way of protecting him." It was why he had pushed Neal away the few times he had reached out and tried to contact him.

"Bryce," Chuck sighed, disappointed. He didn't approve and neither did Peter.

"Anyway, Neal said that you would be able to answer my questions," Bryce said. It was why they had agreed to meet here and, indirectly, why Peter had been in range of the assassin. "So, let's start with how you met and why Neal has a radius."

"Let's take him to Castle first," Chuck suggested.

"Castle?" Peter questioned.

"You'll love it," Chuck said reassuringly, "it's our spy base."

Peter had one thought before agreeing to follow these spies;  _what did Neal get him into now?_


	4. LPF - Let the Pieces Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Huntress79:  
> "What if Bryce didn't die the way he did on the show? What if he was right in the middle of a CIA job when it happened (or at least that was everybody thought)? To get the job done nonetheless, Sarah and Chuck contact Neal, who just got released into Peter's custody. How do they explain it to Peter that they need Neal to finish the job? Do they even explain? And how will Neal react when all of a sudden Bryce shows up, looking really alive?  
> "Additional notes: Neal knows the team (Sarah, Chuck, Casey, Morgan); set in WC Season 1, so the dynamics between Peter and Neal are still a bit rough. Got the idea from the movie "Bad Company", where Chris Rock plays the twin part."
> 
> Takes place between season 2 and 3 of Chuck and Season 1 of White Collar.

**Let the Pieces Fall**

* * *

Chuck flinched as the gun went off and Bryce tumbled off the bridge and into the water. This was the bridge where he had taken Sarah on their first date and he didn't think he could ever see it the same way.

"No!" he cried a moment later when his friend's demise finally reached his brain. "Bryce!" He dashed to the water's edge but couldn't see a body. It didn't matter because he was pulled away a moment later.

He should have flashed, he needed to flash. Dmitri Orlov threw him to the ground.

"Goodbye, Agent Carmichael," he said aiming the gun at him.

"Chuck!" Just in time, Sarah appeared. Her golden hair fanned out behind her as she ran over to them and fired a shot.

Dmitri dodged and then ran off. Sarah fired a few more shots and then moved to check whether Chuck was okay.

"Bryce," Chuck whimpered, the image of his friend's body jolting and then falling over the edge of the bridge flashing before his eyes.

"What?" Sarah questioned, looking around. There was no sign of Bryce. Her mind put the pieces together slowly. Bryce and Chuck had been walking together and only Chuck was here now.

"He... shot. He-he fell into the water," Chuck chocked out, trying his hardest not to cry.

Like Chuck, Sarah moved to the edge of the bridge to check.

"We have to report this," she said, her voice impassive. She could cry later. "Bryce was supposed to meet with the mark tomorrow. They know what he looks like."

Chuck nodded and reached out a hand so that she could help him out.

"The man, the one who killed him, he's Dmitri Orlov," Chuck said, rubbing at his eyes and wishing to be able to slip under the covers of his bed and cry. Or have Bryce back; it hadn't sunk in that he was gone. Bryce was the guy who sent him the Intersect, who saved his life and who convinced him to continue to be a spy.

They both joined the new Intersect project together and both received the Intersect 2.0. Bryce was his spy trainer and the only guy other than Morgan who Chuck could fight with, knowing that they would be able to make up.

And now he was gone.

* * *

"I understand that you're grieving," General Beckman said, "but, this meet needs to happen. Jamison Sangster has ties to the Ring Organisation, we need his intel."

"General, Jamison has already met with Bryce once," Sarah reminded her, "we can't change who we send in without arousing suspicion."

"Doesn't Bryce have a double?" Casey suggested.

The General nodded and shuffled some papers on her desk.

"Neal Caffrey," she informed them, "he's currently working for the FBI as a confidential informant. He will replace Agent Larkin on this mission."

"But, Bryce didn't want his brother involved in the spy life," Chuck said. His eyes were visibly red and, unlike Sarah, he hadn't tried to hide it with makeup.

The General sighed and tried to put this gently;

"Agent Larkin isn't here," she said, "he's left us with a job to finish. So, let's finish it."

* * *

Hughes gave Neal the double finger-point the moment he walked through the doors. Peter and Neal shared a look before walking side-by-side down the bullpen.

Hughes held up a hand to stop them and pointed to Neal.

'Just me?' he mouthed, pointing to himself. Hughes nodded.

This was new. Every time Hughes spoke to him, Peter had been there. Neal could count the number of conversations he had with just Hughes on one hand.

"Sir?" he asked as he walked into the old man's office. He was nervous, although it didn't show on his face. He didn't smile though; he didn't think Hughes would appreciate it.

"Sit down," Hughes said. Once Neal was seated, he explained, "another agency has requested your services for a few days."

Neal raised an eyebrow. He had been under the impression that he would only be working with the FBI in the White Collar division.

"May I ask, which agency, sir?"

"The CIA," Hughes stated.

"The..." That didn't make any sense. The CIA had Bryce.

Unless something had happened. Something in Neal's gut clenched.

"Do you know why?" he asked, his mouth suddenly feeling dry.

Hughes shook his head.

"Which is why I'm approaching this with caution," he said, "Caffrey, do you know any reason the CIA would request you?"

"The FBI hired me," Neal deflected in a nonchalant tone, "maybe they recognise my skills."

"No games, Caffrey," Hughes said, "why would the CIA request you?"

"I don't know," Neal responded.

"Then, I'm sending Agent Burke with you," Hughes concluded, handing him an envelope. "Your plane tickets are in there and your flight leaves in three hours."

Neal nodded his agreement and left.

* * *

Peter wasn't happy about the flight to Burbank. They got out of work early but he had to go home, pack and then pick up Neal from June's so they could go to the airport. El was at work, so he had to explain what was going on over the phone. It was a busy few hours but, Peter still noticed how quiet Neal was.

There was something going on there and the last thing Peter needed was for Neal to pull something while working with the CIA.

Like telling the taxi driver to take them to Echo Park apartments instead of to the hotel.

"Peter please," Neal had said, almost begging, "there's someone here I need to speak with."

"Neal-"

"He'll be able to give us more information why the CIA wants us," Neal added.

"Really?" Peter questioned sceptically. He wondered whether Neal was making that up in order to get him to agree.

"Look, if I'm wrong, then we'll go straight to the hotel," Neal bargained, "but, if I'm right, we'll be able to stay here the night."

Peter frowned but, he was too tired to put up a fight. Flying always tired him out as there were always too many people around for him to feel completely comfortable. He would have said that Neal looked just as tired but, aside from being a little more subdued than usual, you wouldn't have known that he had spent the past 6 hours sitting in an enclosed space.

Surprisingly enough, Neal hadn't even complained about being in Business Class and not First Class.

Peter mused on that as he collected his luggage from the taxi and quickly paid the driver, giving him a good tip because he couldn't wait for change as Neal was heading in without him.

Neal knew exactly where he was going, storming right up to a door on the far side, placing his suitcase on the ground and banging on the door.

Peter waited anxiously as the door opened and the person inside got a good look at them. He looked normal enough, with dark eyes and slightly curly hair, wearing a white shirt and black pants. The only thing off about this man was the darkness around his eyes, he looked like he hadn't sleep properly in a while. Then again, white collar criminals rarely looked like criminals, like Neal.

"Neal."

"Chuck."

Peter raised his eyebrows as they embraced. So, Neal hadn't lied about knowing someone here. Chuck glanced at him and he held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you," Peter said, "I'm Special Agent Peter Burke, FBI. I'm also Neal's handler."

He watched Chuck's reaction. He looked surprised but not shifty or fearful. Maybe there wasn't anything illegal going on here.

"I'm Chuck," he responded, shaking Peter's hand slowly. Then he moved out of the way and invited them in. "Does Sarah know you've arrived?"

"No," Neal responded, "we came right here."

Chuck moved back, towards the couch.

"You'll want to sit down," he said and Peter had a sense of foreboding. It probably didn't help that Chuck wasn't looking at Neal and his eyes were sparkling with unshed tears.

Peter could see that Neal was about to stubbornly choose to stand so he moved forward, placed his hand on Neal's shoulder and guided him towards the couch. Then, he sat down while pulling Neal with him.

"I would like to know why we're here," Peter commented.

Chuck sunk down onto the coffee table in front of them.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice heavy with emotion, "Bryce is dead."

* * *

Peter had never seen Neal like this. There was no sign of the invincible conman now. Neal hid his tears behind a pillow, pressing his face into it like he was going to sleep, and curled up on the couch, his head lying next to Peter as his body shuddered with sobs. He didn't even seem to care that his pants had crinkled and his anklet was visible.

Peter had come here worried about Neal using it as an opportunity to escape, he even had his 'I own him for four years so you better return him' speech all ready for the CIA, but, seeing Neal now, he didn't know what to think. His hand alternated between just touching Neal's back and running through his hair, offering what little comfort he could.

"If you told me a year ago that I'd be curled up on a couch with Neal Caffrey, I would have said you were crazy," Peter commented quietly when Chuck brought them blankets.

"He's not bad," Chuck responded as he threw a blanket over Neal's curled up body. "He's actually more considerate than Bryce." Chuck's bottom lip trembled as he said that.

Peter nodded even though he didn't understand. He hadn't met Bryce like Neal and Chuck had. All he could do was try and respect the fact that they had recently lost someone close to them.

He really wished El was here. She was better at this. He didn't have any idea what to say or do to make it better.

He slept upright that night and awoke the next morning with a crick in his neck and ache in his lower back.

* * *

If it hadn't been for Peter, the mission could have ended badly.

Sarah took one look at Neal, offered her condolences and then became all business. Chuck quietly told Peter that this was her way of mourning and that she really wanted to get this guy; for Bryce.

Neither she nor Chuck could look at Neal for very long. Casey, the only one in the team who appeared unaffected by Bryce's death, could. Thankfully for Peter, because Casey seemed almost as weary as Peter's team when it came to Neal.

But, Neal's meet with Jamison Sangster went awry. Yes, Jamison thought Neal was Bryce but, he had been hired by Dmitri Orlov to draw the agent out. Peter clued in the moment Jamison mentioned how robust Bryce must be in order to survive being shot. He grabbed his gun and was about to head out when Casey stopped him.

They believed Neal could handle himself. Peter knew that Neal wasn't himself. He had been quiet and spent a good part of the morning locked in the bathroom with a damp towel over his face.

"Care to try again?" Neal taunted Jamison and it was like all the air had been sucked out of the van. Even Casey paused.

In that moment, Peter spotted someone entering through the back door. When he moved this time, no one stopped him. They didn't move until he had burst through the door with his gun at the ready, eager to protect his CI.

He shot Dmitri in the shoulder as the man had a gun and held his weapon up to Jamison as a fully armed Casey came in with Sarah behind him.

Almost as if a switch had been flipped, Neal's conman smile faded and his stance lost all its energy.

It hurt to watch. Gratefully, his phone beeped with a message a moment later. It was a location.

"Neal," he called out, "there's somewhere I want to go."

Neal gave him a tired but quizzical look.

* * *

It was difficult but, Peter managed to talk Chuck, Sarah and Casey into coming with him, under the pretext of borrowing their van. They had to wait until the scene was secured but he didn't mind.

"Westside Medical?" Chuck questioned when they pulled up, "why are we here?"

Peter remained silent. He was probably going to give them a shock, but he didn't know how to explain this or even if they would believe him.

Chuck stopped him as he tried to leave.

"Uh, my sister doesn't know about the spy stuff, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention the CIA or anything related to it here."

"Alright."

"Neal?"

"Lying to your sister about being CIA is a bad idea," Neal said and Peter wondered if he was being hypocritical or was speaking from experience. Maybe both.

"Neal?"

"Fine," Neal said shortly, "I won't mention it."

"So, why are we here?" Casey grumbled.

Peter didn't respond, he just jumped out and started walking towards the building, turning back to check that they were following him.

Peter flashed his badge at the receptionist. Jones knew his boss well as he had told her that he was coming. She showed them to a certain room at the ICU where a certain person was unconsciously resting while recovering from a bullet wound.

"He's finally well enough that we can consider moving him to a regular room," she explained, "but it was touch-and-go for a while."

"Thank you," Peter said, dismissing her and he glanced back.

Neal had his hand on the glass, pale as a ghost. His other hand was tightly clutched around Chuck's. Chuck's other hand was holding Sarah's.

Casey took one look into the room, gave an amused grunt and possibly pleased grunt, before walking back the other way.

"Larkin, more lives than a cat," he commented. Peter had thought that about Neal once or twice.

"He's alive," Neal gasped as Peter joined them.

"Thank goodness," Sarah added, placing a forehead on the glass.

"How did you find him?" Chuck asked, his eyes lit with wonder.

Peter was hesitant to explain. Technically, what he had done was a misappropriation of FBI resources but, it wasn't the first time he had done it; putting his wife under surveillance when they first met in order to check if she was single came to mind.

"I asked another agent," only Jones because he couldn't trust anyone else not to ask questions, "to check with all the hospitals and medical facilities in this area for someone matching Neal's description."

Neal's mouth opened in a little 'o'.

"Peter, I think I've corrupted you," he commented with a ghost of a smile. It was the closest he had come to a real smile since this whole thing started.

"Hardly," he responded, grasping Neal's shoulder. "Should I arrange a hotel or are we staying here?"

"You can stay with me," Chuck quickly offered, "I promise that you won't have to sleep on the couch."

"Neal?" Peter asked because anywhere Neal went, he went; at least until they were back in New York and Neal's radius.

Neal took one last look at Bryce's figure, so like his and surrounded by tubes and machines, and agreed to Chuck's offer.


	5. TWYN - There When You Need

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Saj_te_Gyuhyall:  
> "Bryce either get's sick or is critically injured and only some form of transplant has a chance of saving him. So Chuck get's word to 'Danny' somehow (maybe the twins have a secure e-mail account they use to keep in touch, or he leaves a message some where, IDK) and Neal drops everything, explains nothing, just gets on a flight to Burbank (does or doesn't cut his anklet?), leaving Peter and the team scrambling to go after him. They catch up with him at the hospital."
> 
> I feel that I'm lucky in that I don't know much about cancer treatment. Anyway, most of the leukemia information in this was found on Wikipedia. So, expect inaccuracies.
> 
> As well as bone marrow transplants for treatment they also use stem cells (although I'm not sure how wide-spread this is), either way, you need a match.

**There When You Need**

* * *

Bryce was lying on the bed, sleeping peacefully for the most part. The people outside were far from restful.

Chuck was pacing frantically.

"They can't make him quit!" he said to Sarah, who was sitting on a chair with a laptop on her lap and searching the internet for information.

"Face it, Bartowski," Casey grumbled, "Larkin's no longer fit enough to be a spy."

"But, Bryce loves being a spy!" Chuck countered.

"It's too dangerous to send him out into the field," Sarah said, although she didn't sound happy about it. "He been tired and in pain and none of us noticed."

"Because he was hiding it," Casey pointed out.

"And now he needs treatment and rest."

"The only cure is bone marrow transplant!" Chuck pointed out.

"They're testing us," Sarah pointed out, "and if one of us is a match, we'll donate. Beyond that, we'll have to wait."

"But, it's unlikely that any of us will match," Chuck said, his voice growing soft. If he couldn't be cured, Bryce couldn't be a spy.

More than that, if he wasn't cured and he let it go this long without getting treatment, he could die. This wasn't a bullet to the body that could be healed with time, it was chronic granulocytic leukemia.

Leukemia.

"If only Bryce had a sibling," Sarah sighed quietly. Chuck paused.

"What?"

Sarah looked up at him, slightly confused by the speck of hope in his voice.

"The chances of finding a match increase with family," she explained, repeating the doctor's words, "siblings have the highest chance."

"Bryce has a twin brother," Chuck blurted pulling his phone out of his pocket. Bryce has a twin brother and he knew just how to contact him.

* * *

Neal sighed and leant back on his chair. No case, no undercover work and no surveillance work meant no need to go into the office. He was free to enjoy his weekend.

And then his phone beeped. It was a message forwarded from one of his email accounts. The email account that only one person knew.

Why would Chuck be contacting him now?

Neal glanced at the message, curious. His curiosity turned to fear and horror as he read it again.

'Bryce needs you. Is very sick. Call me. Chuck.' And after the message was a phone number. Neal fumbled with his phone as he dialled the number.

His body felt cold as he heard Chuck describe what was going on. Bryce was in hospital after collapsing in the middle of a mission. He had cancer. Chuck informed him that he was their best option for the chance of a cure. Without it, Bryce could only be treated and stopped from getting worse. As he was now, he couldn't be an agent. There was too much risk.

"I'll be there," Neal said. There was going to be by his twin's side for this, forget the consequence. Mostly. "Chuck, you think you can hack into the Marshall's database for me?"

"Yeah. What for?"

"I need you to alter my tracking data and get it to show me staying home and not flying out to Burbank."

"That'll only buy time," Chuck warned, although it didn't sound like he was trying to convince him to stay.

"Do it."

* * *

Peter really hoped June had some of the cappuccino in the clouds for him, he could really do with a coffee boost. It had been one of those mornings. They ran out of the cereal he liked because Neal ate some, the dog stole his wallet probably because Neal taught him and his toast burned which, El was quick to point out, was not Neal's fault.

Maybe Peter was just edgy today. Neal had spent the weekend at home which was odd behaviour from him.

Peter knocked on Neal's door. No answer; apparently he wasn't the only one having one of those mornings. He opened the door, ready to rouse a sleepy Caffrey through his morning routine and out the door to his car.

No Neal. He wasn't in bed, or the bathroom, or the walk-in wardrobe and none of June's staff had seen him.

Peter checked his anklet and, disturbingly, it said he was there. But he wasn't.

He cursed Neal and called Jones and then Diana.

A friend of Diana's spotted someone with his description boarding a flight to Burbank. Peter was on the next flight.

Something about this didn't feel right. Mozzie hadn't even noticed that Neal had left and had been as shocked as Peter, according to El.

* * *

Peter's search found him storming into a hospital that afternoon after a long flight. He had Diana check with the hospital using and managed to persuade a nurse to tell her that there was 'a someones' of Neal's description there.

"Hello, Suit," a voice greeted him in the parking lot and almost giving him a heart attack.

"Mozzie! What are you doing?"

"I'm here to protect Neal from the Man," Mozzie declared.

"Uh-huh," Peter commented, "so, you knew about Danny Larkin?" That was the name of the person who booked Neal's seat on the flight.

Mozzie didn't respond; he just started walking towards the hospital while explaining the 'terrors' that awaited them inside, which was answer enough. No, he hadn't known.

Peter hadn't known either. The name hadn't come up during any of his investigations.

They found the room easily, every person Peter asked along the way was glad to point out that room. It was Neal Caffrey at work since everyone also knew that he wasn't a patient and that he was only visiting someone.

His brother. Neal Caffrey had a brother. Judging from Mozzie's sour look, he hadn't even known.

They picked up their pace and found Neal sitting on a bed with another Neal lying under the covers of the bed.

"See, Bryce," the Neal sitting on the bed said, flashing a smile at Peter and Mozzie. "It seems I've spent too much time with you again, Peter's had to pick me up."

The Neal in the bed gave a glare at his almost identical counterpart. Peter realised that this was Neal's brother, Bryce. He was pale, thin and Peter felt tired just looking at him.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow," Neal said, jumping off the bed and herding Peter and Mozzie out of the room. As soon as they were down the corridor, he dropped the smile.

"Please, don't arrest me just yet," he said to Peter, "Bryce's treatment is scheduled for tomorrow and I have to be there."

"Neal, you left your radius, manipulated your anklet somehow and flew across the country," Peter pointed out. He wanted to sound angry, had planned to sound angry but, couldn't. Not when Neal seemed insistent on staying with his sick sibling. El would have done the same thing for her sister. But, El wasn't a criminal on a tracking anklet.

"What are the quacks telling you?" Mozzie asked before Peter could continue.

"Chronic granulocytic leukemia," Neal said, his voice heavy with emotion, "he won't be cured unless he receives a bone marrow transplant."

And, just like that, the pieces clicked into place.

"You're the donor," Peter realised.

Neal nodded.

"We're twins, you know," he smirked but, it didn't reach his eyes.

"I can't let you stay here," Peter said, "it's breaking the rules. Neal, you should go back to jail for this." He ignored Mozzie's outraged fish-faces; his mouth opening and closing as he tried to figure out the best way to scold him for his heartlessness.

"If it means helping Bryce, I don't care."

"And what does Bryce think?"

Neal paused and looked away.

"Bryce thinks I'm here with the grace of the FBI," he responded, "I also told him that you're here as my FBI escort. You even have a room booked at the Hotel Amarano."

Mozzie snorted at that. Peter frowned as he didn't approve of Neal running a con on his brother.

"Please Peter," Neal returned to asking, "let me just stay until the operation is over. Then you can take me back to New York, arrest me or whatever."

"Neal!" Mozzie said, scandalised at him handing himself over to the feds, again.

Peter sighed. If he took Neal back now or arrested him when he was only trying to help his brother, El would give him earful.

"Fine. We'll deal with this after your brother's operation."

* * *

That night, Chuck approached Peter with a way to get Neal out of trouble. It had to do with a case of mistaken identity, a supposed kidnapping and the CIA.

Peter bet Mozzie didn't know that either.


	6. TGO - The Game is On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Love_82:  
>  _"How about one where everyone knows about Bryce and that they are twins but no one knows that Bryce is in NY at that time. They think he is off on CIA business. Bryce surprises Neal with a visit and the brothers decide to have a little fun. Bryce takes Neal's place to see how long it takes Peter to figure it out. Could be at work or at one of their homes or someplace else where Neal and Peter were going to do something together._  
>  _"Or they could switch with everyone to see who figures it out the quickest. Also someone(s) could figure out that it is really Bryce and have a little fun with him and Neal, who is maybe listening to the conversations through some spy gadget or ear piece. I think that part could work with Sara if they are trying to fool her. :)"_
> 
> Note: Kind of a rush job, so there could be errors. Anyway, it's Peter's birthday but, Mozzie suspects something strange going on with Neal...

**The Game is On**

* * *

It was not Neal. He looked like Neal and he even acted like Neal, but it wasn't Neal. The Lady Suit told Mozzie he was being silly. Why wouldn't it be Neal? It was Peter's birthday party and Neal had been looking forward to it for weeks; Mrs. Suit made gluten-free muffins so Mozzie had to come.

There were suits everywhere, giving off their suit vibes. The Lady Suit was drinking a beer with Suit Jones and the Suit was eyeing the round butterscotch cake while chatting away with Yvonne, one of the non-suits.

Neal also gave off a suit vibe. The way he moved, although close to normal, was the movement of someone used to having a gun on them. And Mozzie stole his glass, to make sure that he wasn't leaving fingerprints for the suits to find. He was and it didn't match.

This wasn't Neal but, no one was listening to him. Even though Neal had an identical twin, he was supposed to be off in some far-away land.

"Moz, are you alright?" Not-Neal-and-possibly-Bryce asked with a concerned expression.

"I'm fine," he responded. The-most-certainly-Bryce raised an eyebrow.

"In a room of FBI agents? You sure?"

Mozzie gave a snort. Yes, he shouldn't be lax in the presence of the Man but, he had his exit strategy and it was good practice. He needed to practice his discrete skills for not leaving a trace.

"It's just the Suit and suit minions," he said, raising a glass. He was wearing thin, skin coloured gloves to keep from leaving fingerprints.

"Alright," Bryce said, sounding unconvinced.

* * *

Round 1

* * *

Sara cornered him moments later.

"I hear you think that Neal's not Neal," she said.

"I may," he responded, "or I may not. Why do you ask?"

Sara glanced back into the Burke's kitchen, where Elizabeth was chatting with Bryce.

"I get the feeling he's avoiding me," she explained.

"It couldn't have to do with your broken tryst, could it?"

"No." Sara swirled her wine before taking a sip. "We're still friends with something on the side."

"Uh-huh," Mozzie responded, not convinced. Although, she believed him so did it really matter? "I have my suspicions that Neal's suit twin has taken his place." She gave him a sceptical look, so he added, "I tested his fingerprints. That's not Neal."

"Huh. Bet I get him to slip up," she said. Mozzie thought that sounded crazy. Why let the super suits know you know? It just gave them a reason to silence you. Then again, he stood to benefit if she succeeded.

"Go ahead," he said, motioning towards Bryce with his glass.

Sara shot him a determined look and stalked over to him.

* * *

She stood closely to him and pretended to be listening to what Elizabeth was saying. Meanwhile, she wrapped her hand around his.

"Neal," she said once Elizabeth finished speaking, "you mind if we talk?"

"Uh, sure," he responded, looking confused. If this was Bryce, he was good. The expression had Neal's softness and focus.

She pulled Bryce away, up the stairs where it was secluded.

"So, Neal," she said, acutely aware of how close their bodies were. She could feel the heat from his body and the fabric of his suit brushed against her body. "I was just wondering, would you like to repeat last Friday night?"

"What?" Neal questioned. His face was impassive but focused on her. "Here? Now?"

Although she made it sound seductive, all they had done was watch movies. Neal had mentioned the 'Tiles of Fire' series and the time June and Mozzie had him watch them and the expression he had while talking about them, slight annoyance mixed with reluctance, made her curious as to what the movies were like.

"I'm sure Peter won't mind."

"He won't but Elizabeth might," Bryce responded, "she's been wanting to see those movies for a while now and besides, how did you know what I got Peter?"

"What?" That was unexpected. He seemed to know what she was talking about.

"I got the box set of the 'Tiles of Fire' movies for Peter as a present," he said, "how did you know?"

She sighed. This was either Neal or Bryce was better than she thought.

"I didn't," she responded.

"Oh. Well, how about this Friday we watch them again?" he suggested, "or, maybe we could go to a restaurant? I know a great place." He made that sound like the better option and, while she couldn't hear the contempt Neal had for those movies, he still made it sound like it wasn't his favourite activity.

She agreed and walked away defeated. The worst part was the smug look on Mozzie's face.

* * *

Round 2

* * *

Jones listened with silent interest. Beside him, Diana smirked.

"This sounds like fun," she proclaimed. Mozzie glared at her but Sara nodded.

"He's a tricky one," she advised.

Jones snorted. He decided that he could do this easily and walked right over to Neal.

"Hey Bryce," he said.

He slunk back to the group in defeat. Bryce hadn't fallen for it, playing Neal accurately to the end.

* * *

Round 3

* * *

Elizabeth listened intently.

"So, you're trying to figure out if Neal is Bryce?" she questioned. They nodded. "Why don't you just call him?"

"We already tried calling him 'Bryce'," Diana said, "he just gave us an annoyed look and told us his name was 'Neal'."

"And not to go mixing him up with his brother like some fourth grade teacher," Jones added.

"I meant by his phone," Elizabeth elaborated, "if you call Neal and his," she jabbed a thumb at Bryce who was chatting with Peter and watching them curiously. "Phone doesn't ring then, he isn't Neal."

They all gave her admiring looks; it was certainly a modern idea. Diana pulled out her phone and rang Neal's number.

The phone Bryce was carrying began to ring. He looked at the screen and then held it up where they could see the screen.

"Are you calling me?" he asked Diana.

"She's just testing her phone!" Mozzie called back, "you know, they-"

"Don't yell across the room," Peter interrupted, silencing Mozzie.

* * *

Overtime

* * *

Peter noticed all the curious and challenging glares the group were shooting their way. On that matter, when did Diana, Jones, El, Mozzie and Sara decide to group up?

"Get the feeling we're being excluded?" he asked Bryce.

Bryce shrugged.

"It's fun to see what they come up with."

"Are you going to tell them?" Peter asked turning his back to them and resting his arms on the kitchen bench.

Bryce gave a snort and mirrored his action.

"I like them trying to figure it out," he discretely tapped a finger to his ear where there was an earpiece relaying what he heard to Neal and Neal's voice to him. "Neal's enjoying this too." They were both well aware that Neal was listening in.

"They haven't thought of the anklet yet," Peter mused, "or trying to get you to speak Japanese or something."

"I know Japanese," Bryce responded, "it's French I have problems with."

Peter smirked knowingly. That had been how he caught Bryce out, with a French document he wanted Neal to look at. Bryce had stared blankly at it and then promised to get it done by the next day. Peter had immediately caught on and pressured him until he admitted that he couldn't read it. This, of course, was half-an-hour before his party had been due to start. Elizabeth had been busy downstairs getting the party ready and everyone else hadn't arrived yet.

"You're not taking him any cake," Peter informed Bryce. Bryce gave him a hurt look.

"He says he's feeling better," he relayed a moment later. Peter gave him a parental glare. Neal was sick and that meant no cake.

"I'll save him a piece for when he's better," he said, "but no cake today."

"Your terms are acceptable," Bryce responded, turning around to face the group again. "You want to bet on what they're going to try next?"


	7. TTC2 – Stand Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From KeJae:  
>  _What if when Kramer comes and tries to start trouble Neal and Bryce communicate via their twins thing and Kramer gets the scare of his life finding himself dealing with two Caffreys while Peter is relieved that they both like him so he doesn't have to worry about them ganging up on him (unless its for a prank ;)_
> 
> Notes: Didn't really follow the prompt... this ended up as more of a Judgement Day AU where Bryce helps Neal foil Kramer's plot with some creepy/intimidating twins Neal and Bryce.

**TTC2 – Stand Together**

* * *

Kramer had made himself at home in one of the interview rooms. Set up a desk and covered it in files, searching for the little nugget which would allow him to take Neal with him to DC.

Peter didn't know what to do as he watched Kramer walk back to his room after dropping his bombshell. He might be covering for Neal but, Neal could change. He had changed and the only way he could keep changing was if he stayed with him in New York where he had a support group of people who upheld the law and set good examples.

"Irauw, huru, Peter?" a voice asked before him, snapping him out of his thoughts and making him jump slightly. It sounded so much like Neal but, Peter knew it wasn't Neal.

The white shirt, black jacket and skinny tie weren't Neal's style; nowhere near the level of a Devore suit.

"I don't know what that means," he said.

Bryce smirked and gave a small headshake and laugh.

"Sorry," he said, "I couldn't help it."

Help what? Peter wanted to ask. But, it wasn't the time.

"You're speaking at Neal's commutation, aren't you?"

"Yes," he responded, giving Peter a confused look. "I'm on just before you. Why?"

"What are you planning to say?"

Bryce considered this for a moment, weighing up whether to trust Peter or not. Neal held Peter in high regard and the man appeared to be able to tell them apart but, he was still FBI.

"Why do you ask?"

"Kramer wants Neal in DC," Peter responded, looking hurt at the thought, "and he's digging into Neal's past crimes to do so."

Bryce went solemn and his eyes focused on the distance. Peter sighed and snapped his fingers in his face. Rude but effective as Bryce snapped back to the present.

"Words," Peter reminded him.

"He's not that person anymore," Bryce responded, "you know it, I know it, even he knows it. And we owe that to you, who gave him a chance to build this life in New York. He doesn't even plan to leave if he gets his freedom."

"He really doesn't?" Peter had been hoping but, knew that he couldn't count it as truth until the day Neal walked into the office as a free man.

"I'm going to talk to Kramer," Bryce said, walking briskly down the hall. Peter watched him go for a moment before realising that he should follow him.

* * *

Agent Kramer had already returned to his desk and his work. Bryce opened the door and walked in with barely a greeting and Peter on his heels.

"I wondered how long it would be before you came to see me," Kramer commented, folding the file back up. He looked Bryce up and down. "Neal Caffrey's twin brother, I assume?"

"Bryce Larkin," Bryce said, "you can call me 'Agent Larkin', Agent Kramer."

Agent Kramer made a musing noise.

"Philip. We need to talk," Peter said.

"I suppose we do," Kramer said, sounding slightly put out.

Bryce's face was blank but Peter thought he saw his jaw clench. Kramer placed the file into his briefcase and locked it.

"Neal needs boundaries," Kramer pointed out. He nodded to Peter. "I told you about my CI, my Neal."

"Yeah," Peter responded, "you were close."

"I thought I brought around but, I couldn't change who he was."

"Just because you slapped cuffs on your CI, doesn't mean it will happen with Neal and me," Peter responded.

Bryce's face was stony and he had a far off gaze.

"You are a disillusioned old man," Bryce said in a flat tone.

"Excuse me?" Kramer questioned, almost chocking.

"Perhaps you couldn't change him because you didn't believe," Bryce added.

"He was like a son to me," Kramer responded, "and I'm seeing the same signs in Peter as the me back then."

"You are planning to take Neal away," Bryce said, still in a flat tone. Peter felt a shiver travel down his back. Bryce was kind of creepy like this.

"To DC, where I can keep an eye on him."

"Can you keep an eye on me now?" For a moment, Peter thought that it was somehow Bryce who spoke without moving his lips. But, no, Neal walked down the hallway. His gaze seemed as far away as Bryce's and Peter found himself shrinking back a little.

"Or do I scare you?" Bryce said as if he was Neal. Peter found himself wondering if he was Neal and that Bryce was the one dressed like Neal.

"I'm afraid I don't follow," Kramer said, becoming slightly flustered. He had two Neal Caffrey's bearing down on him with unfeeling force.

"You had a CI, you failed," Neal said, "and you think you can do better with me?"

"What's to stop you from making the same mistake? Even worse, what's to stop you from dragging me down with you?"

"I, uh," Kramer was nervous now.

"Looking for a trophy, Agent Kramer?" Neal asked with a little smirk and head-tilt which Bryce copied.

"A tool?"

"A friend?"

"If you really want to know, why don't you ask me what the CIA thinks?"

"What the CIA has?"

"Or what's been covered up?"

Kramer was really flustered now, his face coloured red, and Peter couldn't let this go on.

"Neal, Bryce, stop," he said, putting an ordering tone into his voice.

"Stop?" they questioned simultaneously in a confused tone.

"Let me talk to Kramer, okay?" They glared at him in disagreement and he had the feeling that they were communicating some 'choicewords' about him. "Go."

Looking completely put out, Bryce and Neal left.

"I don't know why you're allowing Caffrey's twin to run around," Kramer muttered.

"Bryce is CIA," Peter said, "I couldn't keep him out if I tried. Besides, it does Neal good, having family on the side of the law here."

Kramer raised an eyebrow.

"That looked good to you?"

"Good or not, they had a point. You've already had to slap cuffs on your CI so what makes you think you can do better with Neal?"

"Petey, I know what I'm doing. I've learnt from that, you haven't. I know how to avoid having to arrest my CI, you don't. If you're not careful, you could lose your job over him and I don't want that to happen."

"Say Neal goes with you," Peter said, testing the possibilities, "what happens in two years, when he's a free man?"

"Who's to say he will be?"

"That's what you're after. You want to use whatever you find to extend his sentence indefinitely." Peter fought to keep his face and voice level. What Kramer was doing felt wrong on a fundamental level; a perversion of justice.

"It's best for all concerned. He gets to do what he's so good at, and he won't end up being locked away or worse." It was almost an echo of how Fowler planned to use Neal; he wanted Neal to do what he was good at without the threat of prison hanging over his head.

It wasn't right.

He took a breath and said;

"In two years' time, when his sentence is over, he's earned that right to decide his own life. Until then, Neal's staying here, with me."

With that said, he left before he lost all sense. He really wanted to sit Kramer down and lecture him on justice and how it was supposed to work or just punch the guy. Unfortunately, he could do neither. However, he could fight for Neal.

* * *

Bryce and Neal were sitting in his office when he returned.

"Kramer's going to subpoena Sara Ellis' records," Bryce said in lieu of a greeting when Peter walked in.

"What?"

"Neal searched his office," Bryce said.

"While in prison, I sent Kate an address," Neal explained, "he has the first part but, needs the zip code in order to locate it."

Peter raised an eyebrow and suppressed the urge to ask what was hidden at this address.

"Why Sara Ellis?" he asked instead.

"She may have gotten close," Neal hedged.

"She knows the zip code," Peter sighed. This was bad. Whatever Kramer was after was enough to make Neal nervous.

"I'm going to get it and move it while you and Neal go to Sterling Bosh and buy me time," Bryce explained.

"I wanted to go but-"

"But, the tracking anklet makes things difficult," Bryce finished for Neal.

Peter sighed again and slid into his seat. He thought for a moment.

"It was Bryce's idea to tell you," Neal said, pointing a finger at his brother, "just thought I'd say."

Peter held up a hand. It was obvious what Bryce was going to move as there was only one thing that Sara would have hunted down and gotten close to but never found.

The Raphael painting;  _St. George and the Dragon_.

"It's a good idea," he said, flattering them so they would hopefully choice his option, "but how do you feel about returning stolen property?"

"Without getting arrested?" Bryce and Neal questioned as one.

Peter nodded.

* * *

"Didn't you hear? The painting was recovered this morning," Sara said into the phone as Kramer issued his subpoena. She glanced over to Neal and Peter; the former acting faintly nervous and the latter standing strong.

"I'll be there myself to take possession of the painting by end of business today. And I hope you're telling me the truth, because if it's not there by six o'clock, I'll be charging you with obstruction of justice," Kramer explained before hanging up.

Sara suppressed a flinch. Kramer had not made a good impression with her as this felt like a shakedown.

"I've bought you six hours," she explained, "now, can you get the painting?" Just the mention of it made her want to dance in her heels. Kramer may be unpleasant but, she was going to get her painting back.

"It's on the way," Neal said, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Let's go talk to Mr. Bosh, shall we?" Peter said, hoping to distract Sara from Neal. His expression was flickering a bit, a soft smile growing, and he wondered if Neal could somehow sense Bryce even though he was going somewhere.

* * *

Neal kept tabs on Bryce as he met with Ellen and retrieved the painting.

"I'm Bryce," he said jokingly when she called him Neal. She hadn't known that Bryce was in New York or that he knew where she lived.

"Do you hate me?" she asked, once she handed over the tube which held the painting. "For telling your brother the truth?"

Bryce was silent for a moment. He could feel that Neal didn't hate her and that Neal didn't want him to hate her but, he was uncertain about how he felt.

"I don't hate you," he said, "but, I don't know how I feel about you telling him the truth. Some secrets are better off kept."

"He was going to join the academy," Ellen responded with a fond smile, "that wouldn't have gone well."

Bryce nodded and picked up the tube.

"He wants to know if Kate came to get it."

"The pretty girl with the dark hair. She did. Almost five years ago now." At Bryce's inquiring expression, she added, "She said she wanted Neal to have it. You never met her?"

Bryce shook his head. Ellen was silent for a moment.

"I have to admit I'm curious. What is in there that's so special?"

Bryce snorted.

"Something he took to impress a girl, what else?" He could feel Neal's indignation as he hugged Ellen goodbye.

* * *

Bryce snuck back over the bridge by taxi; Mozzie's taxi. Kramer couldn't do much about it, since he dodged his cronies and delivered the painting to Sterling Bosh; admittedly, he had some help from Diana who Neal called in the moment it looked like he might be caught.

He handed the painting to Neal who, thanks to Peter speaking with Mr. Bosh, was in charge of authenticating it. Kramer was forced to hand over the painting to Sara and Mr. Bosh and all's well the ends well. Mostly.

* * *

"Should Neal Caffrey's sentence be commuted?" the board spokesperson asked Peter.

He told them the same thing he told Kramer;

"In two years' time, when his sentence is over, he's earned the right to decide his own life. But, until then, he has a life here and something to tie him to it." He didn't think Neal would appreciate his choice but, Peter was confident that it was the right one. "No. I don't think Neal Caffrey's sentence should be commuted."

When they dismissed him, he walked outside and almost ran right into Neal.

"Neal!" he hissed in surprise as his heart thudded in his chest.

"How'd it go?" Neal asked curiously.

"Good, I guess," he responded, "ready to hear if you're a free man or not?"

"Already a free man," he said with a happy smirk, "I'm Bryce."

What? Peter froze and looked him up and down. He looked like Neal and acted like Neal.

"Hi, Peter," Neal; or was it Bryce?, called as he rounded the corner. Peter glanced between the identical pair, cornered and confused.

"Uh?"

"Can't tell, can you?" the one he almost ran into quipped. The one that just arrived had the same smirk on his face.

"No," Peter felt forced admit.

"And before you ask," the one that just arrived said as his lifted his pants leg showing off the anklet. Annoyingly enough, the other one did the same thing and had the exact same anklet. "We both have one."

"Mozzie's work?" Peter questioned, wanting to know if he needed El to talk to the other con who had wormed his way into their lives.

"Actually Bryce's," they said at the same time, to his annoyance.

Peter threw his hands in the air.

"Well, one of you has to go in there and hear the board's decision," he grumbled, walking away.

He turned back and saw them give each other high-fives before one of them, he really couldn't tell which at this point, walked into the room.

He really hoped that El, maybe even Mozzie, would be able to give him some tips on dealing with the Caffrey twins. They weren't ganging up on him like they did to Kramer but, that didn't stop them from pulling pranks on him.


	8. BI - Blending In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Saj_te_Gyuhyall at AO3:  
>  _Wonder if Neal'd do the same if he was in Bryce's 'Territory'? LOL Be really interesting to see this (or more) from an outside POV like Chuck and or Peter._

**BI - Blending In**

* * *

 

Why was he here? Peter sighed and tried not to feel like an old man while surrounded by a bunch of electronics he didn't care about.

"Oh, check out this one!" Neal said, holding up a phone.

"No," Peter responded.

"But-"

"No," he repeated, "remember why we're here."

Neal pouted as he put it back, shoulders slouching and energy seeming to vanish. He had gone casual today, dressed in a plain button up white shirt and black pants. He hadn't even styled his hair, reminding Peter of how long it had been since he had seen Neal part his hair loosely to the side. Usually, he went around without a hair out of place.

Peter understood why he had done it as he felt out-of-place in his suit but, it still wasn't the level of casualness displayed in the customers' clothes which were bright, colourful shirts and pants. He didn't understand how Neal's outfit allowed him to blend in while Peter received the strange looks.

"Oh, there's Chuck," Neal said, pointing at the man heading towards them. Dark hair combed back and a white button up shirt and black pants... now Peter had an idea of why Neal picked his particular outfit.

"Who's he?" Peter asked, "someone you know?"

"He's the guy we flew all the way out here to meet," Neal said in an awed voice, "he's the Piranha."

Peter didn't know why he was surprised that Neal knew that. Maybe it was because he expected Mozzie to know that and not Neal; Mozzie was the one with the hacker friends.

"Peter Burke?" Chuck asked in a curious and friendly tone. Peter turned to him and nodded, taking the offered hand for a handshake. Peter made a noise of agreement and nodded. "I'm Chuck Bartowski."

"Hmm, the Piranha," Peter pointed out, causing Chuck to freeze. It was then that Peter realised that this guy wore his emotions on his face. This wasn't a trained conman or criminal.

"I didn't expect you to figure that out," he responded.

"There was someone in our office who recognised your code," Peter explained. Jones had figured it out first with Neal's help. Everyone had been surprised that Neal knew the Piranha's signature.

The Piranha had contacted them during a meeting, in order to mention that he needed the expertise of the White Collar division. Why he picked them, Peter didn't have any idea, but they had refused at first. And then Hughes got a call from the higher ups to send their best agent.

Which was Peter.

The Piranha paid for their flight and hotel, Neal being added into the deal as he was part of the reason Peter's conviction rate was so high. The Piranha hadn't minded the addition or at least, he didn't seem to mind. It could be hard to tell when the other person was just text on a screen.

Chuck looked just how Peter imagined a hacker to be, although with a bit more polish. But, he had the computer geek look down and all he was missing was a pair of glasses.

Peter turned to introduce Neal when he noticed that Neal was gone. He mumbled a curse towards Neal under his breath.

"Neal?" Chuck questioned.

"He's my CI," Peter responded, glancing around the store. There were no signs of Neal. "He's probably scoping out the place." But, for what, Peter had no idea. This was a Buy More, not an art museum, and he didn't think Neal would lower himself to shoplifting.

"Relax," Chuck chuckled, "he's not going to get anywhere where he's not meant to be in here."

Peter gave him a disbelieving look. This was Neal, who walked out of prison in broad daylight. He wasn't going to get caught in a Buy More.

"You don't believe me?" Chuck questioned but, he didn't sound hurt. In fact, he sounded like he welcomed the challenge.

"Neal Caffrey is not your average CI," Peter explained, "he's a felon and a conman."

Chuck raised an eyebrow.

"And you work together?" he questioned suspiciously.

"He's on a work-release to the FBI," Peter responded impatiently, "I'm his handler."

Chuck's gaze lingered on him for a moment before moving away.

"Alright, let's find him," he said. He then pulled out a walkie talkie. "Morgan, I'm initiating 'lost child' protocol."

"Righty-O, man," came the happy chirp from the other end, "can I have a description?"

"You have a photo or something?" Chuck asked Peter.

Peter, who had watched in strange curiosity, nodded and pulled out the prom picture of him and Neal. Chuck looked at it and sucked in a breath.

"Uh, we may have a problem," he said. Then he pressed a button on the walkie talkie and said, "Morgan, find me Bryce."

"You've got to be kidding," the voice on the other end sounded annoyed, "that guy is so annoying."

"I'm initiating 'lost child' protocol on Bryce," Chuck said and then winced as a laugh came through.

"Oh, he's going to hate that. Ten-four, buddy!"

Peter had no idea what he had just witnessed. How was this going to find Neal, who was Bryce and what was the 'lost child' protocol?

"Don't worry, they'll find him," Chuck assured him.

* * *

Chuck led Peter to the Store Manager's office and had him sit down.

"You're not the manager," Peter pointed out when Chuck sat down in the seat at the desk.

"No," Chuck responded, "but I am his best friend. That gives me 'manager chair' privileges."

Peter realised what was going on right there and then, in a moment of blinding clarity. Somehow, he had ended up in a place that had regressed to something like fourth grade or maybe even preschool.

"I see," he said, taking the seat across from the desk.

The walkie talkie crackled.

"Chuck!" it was Morgan again, sounding confused and panicked, "there are conflicting reports here! Casey says he saw Bryce walk into the employee lounge but Jeff and Lester say they saw him helping a customer. Oh! And I thought I saw him walk out back, but I lost him, sorry."

"Morgan, just have anyone who runs into him, bring him to your office," Chuck responded, "we kind of need to talk to him."

"We? Aw, man. Are you cutting me out again? Is there a new mission? You better tell me now before I get the truth from Casey."

Mission? Peter raised his eyebrows and Chuck gave a nervous laugh and pulled the walkie talkie under the desk.

"Just bring him here, okay?" Chuck whispered into it before turning back to Peter.

"What's going on here?" Peter asked. He wasn't curious as much as worried about some kind of gang working out of this Buy More.

"Nothing," Chuck was quick to say. Too quick but, Peter hadn't really expected him to tell him. Chuck must have seen the disbelief on his face because he added, "would you believe me if I said it was top secret?"

"You called us here for some reason, Mr. Bartowski," Peter said, "now I'm going to need facts, not assurances."

Chuck fidgeted nervously, shifting in the seat and clasping and unclasping his hands.

"Uh, yes. I was assured that you are the best and there's no way you could be corrupt," he said.

"And who told you that?" Peter asked, suspicious. It sounded like something Neal would say. However, there weren't a lot of people in this area who knew his name and only one or two who knew him personally and not well enough to make those kinds of assurances.

"Uh, Sarah Bartowski, nee Walker," Chuck said nervously. Actually, most of his motions seemed nervous.

Peter blinked.

"Sarah Walker?" he questioned, remembering the blond haired agent who had walked into his office during his first year in Organised Crime.

She had a past even more sketchy than Neal's, although she hadn't taken anything beyond money. Her father was a con artist and that was where she learnt all her tricks.

She was posing as FBI and Peter, too smart for his own good back then, had figured out that her story didn't cut it and cornered her. He wanted to know her reasons for lying and she gave them, admitting that she was CIA; after clearing it with her bosses.

"So, Sarah recommended me?" Peter questioned.

Chuck nodded and displayed the ring on his hand.

"We're married and when we came across this, she suggested you."

"And what is this?" Peter asked. If Sarah was involved, then it would be shady but, the man before him was clean.

With the worst timing, Morgan came through the door with Bryce walking in front of him.

"What's going on?" Bryce asked, looking confused at Peter's presence.

Peter was just was confused. This looked like Neal but, his hair was longer and his shirt was the wrong shade of white, either the fabric or the colour was different to Neal's but, the end result was a white which had a tint of something pastel-like in it. It was the same with his black slacks and his shoes. They were little things but, things he had learnt to look for during his years chasing Neal, not to mention his years in the White Collar division where he honed his skill in identifying knock-offs.

He supposed Neal could have changed but, why? He was scratching his head when Neal was escorted in, a gruff man dragging him inside the small room.

Neal was wearing a pocket protect with the name 'Bryce Larkin' printed on it.

"Found me a Larkin," he said in a pleased tone.

"Thank you," Chuck said as Morgan gaped.

Peter knew better than to show his surprise to Neal and Bryce, as he guessed the other man's name to be.

"So," he said calmly, placing his hands on his hips. "Which of you is wearing the anklet?"

"That would be Danny," Bryce said, pointing at Neal.

"What?" Neal gaped, either at the name or being sold out. Peter suspected the former. He also catalogued the name away for later.

"Sit," Peter ordered Neal, pointing to the chair he had vacated. Neal glared at him and stood his ground. "Chuck's about to explain why he flew us out here."

"Really?" Neal questioned. He sounded interested but he gave Chuck a suspicious glance.

Chuck nodded and Neal sat.

"Mind if I hang around?" Bryce asked.

"Sure," Chuck said before Peter could stop him. He was distrustful of this Neal look-a-like as was his nature. It was the bland look on his face which made Peter wonder whether he was tricky or just unfortunate to share his looks with an internationally renowned felon.

"This belongs to you," Peter said, pulling the pocket protector out of Neal's pocket and passing it to Bryce.

"Thanks?" Bryce said in a confused tone. His mouth twitched downwards for a moment and Peter wondered if he had trouble expressing his emotions; Neal was a bundle of emotion and put everything into his expressions.

"Okay, so I called you here because we found a little issue..." Chuck went on to explain that he believed there was someone in the FBI who was planning something bad and they needed another someone with knowledge of how the FBI worked as well as FBI access to help them.

* * *

If Peter heard another 'Peter the consultant' joke, he would throttle Neal. He really would. The guy hadn't stopped since their trip to Burbank, during which Neal had spent a few suspicious nights hanging out with Bryce on the balcony of their hotel room, just out of hearing distance for Peter.

"Hey boss," Diana said, walking in with a file in her hand.

"Is that what I think it is?" Peter asked, hopeful.

"Danny Larkin, previously known as Danny Brooks," Diana explained, placing the file before him. "His mother remarried when he was fourteen and he has a twin brother, Bryce Larkin. There was a report of his death in 2007 which seems to have been swept under the rug when he started working at the Burbank Buy More a few years later."

"Interesting," Peter commented, flipping through the file. It was all there, Neal's life up until he turned eighteen.

"Boss," Diana said, her voice going hushed, "I read the file and have to ask, is this Neal's?" She didn't have to finish speaking as they both knew what she meant.

Peter gave her a secretive smile.

"Why don't you ask Neal?" he suggested, "and send him up to me when you're done."

They had a lot to talk about.


	9. TNNGS - Tuning Strings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Guest:  
>  _"Maby you could wright one where they met up during the Stradivarius case (sorry I can't remember the name of the episode) and Sarah has to play the violin to save the mission. This could be the first time the two teams meet. I love those stories of yours."_
> 
> Chuck doesn't know about Danny/Neal and Bryce hasn't seen his brother since he ran away. Also, I couldn't fit in Sarah playing the violin, sorry. Instead, you get a very Bryce-centric fic. I haven't really done a Bryce-centric like this before.
> 
> Reminder that 'Sarah' is Chuck and 'Sara' is White Collar and hopefully I haven't mixed them up...

**TNNGS - Tuning Strings**

* * *

Bryce looked into the faces of his team as he explained:

"Bryan McKenzie, VP of Sterling Bosh. He was held by customs when leaving Beijing as a carbon polymer was stolen from one of their labs. It's one of the strongest materials in the world and we believe he has it."

Chuck raised a hand.

"Why?" he asked innocently.

"He's looking to expand Sterling Bosh into more than insurance," Bryce said, seeing them nod. This was in the file.

"Specifically, he's looking at expanding into the tech sector," Sarah continued, "which means, he needs something big to keep them from bottoming out in the first few months."

Bryce and Sarah both looked to Chuck as he was the one to hack into Sterling Bosh to see what information they had on Bryan McKenzie. It took Chuck a few moments to realise that though.

"Oh! My turn?" he questioned before turning a few pages in the file. "Well, I wouldn't want to meet him in a fight."

Bryce shook his head. He wasn't interested in the man's physique. He was amused though as Chuck was the only agent who would say something like that. Chuck caught his amusement and smiled before continuing.

"His only active case is a missing Stradivarius, but he only created a file on it," Chuck said, "it's like the bare minimum of casework."

"Only there to keep the rest of the company from looking into its disappearance," Sarah commented as she read though the file, "why?"

They silently flipped through the files, looking for an explanation.

"Here," Bryce said, "the symphony recently returned from a tour of China and the Stradivarius was listed with customs. Bryan was there at the same time."

"He bought two tickets to the symphony while he was there," Sarah realised.

"Yeah, he has an ex-fiancée and on again and off again girlfriend," Bryce responded.

"But they flew back at separate times," Sarah continued.

"So they must have broken up again. Think he's looking to rebound?" he asked, turning to look at her.

Chuck cleared his throat, reminding them that he was there. They jolted and turned away from each other.

Bryce internally cursed himself. He and Sarah worked well together, always had, but she was Chuck's wife now and that changed things. It had to change things.

"Sorry," he said to Chuck, nervously wiping his slightly sweaty hands on the legs of his pants, where they couldn't see.

Chuck stared at him for a moment and Bryce couldn't bring himself to met Chuck's eyes. Trying to woo Sarah while she and Chuck were dating was okay, looking like he was wooing her while she was married to Chuck was not.

"Bryan teaches a daily Tai Chi class," Chuck finally said. He turned to Sarah. "Should we put you on the student list?"

Bryce felt relief at Chuck's words and a spark of an idea, an idea Chuck beat him to.

"She can use the class to get closer to him," he realised, "that's brilliant."

"I try," Chuck quipped and Bryce smirked.

* * *

Casey was on holiday with Gertrude Verbanski at Disneyland, of all places, so the team consisted of Bryce, Sarah and Chuck. Bryce was the agent-in-charge and had picked Sarah and Chuck to be on his team for this mission.

He failed to realise that, with Sarah trying to catch Bryan's attention, it would just be him and Chuck in the van.

While they never had any shortage of things to talk about at Stanford, that was over a decade ago and they had both changed since then. Chuck had matured into a spy and married Sarah and Bryce... he had no idea where his life was going. He had dated but never found another woman quite like Sarah, but Sarah was married to Chuck and off-limits because he would never betray his friend like that. His spy career had stalled after his 'deaths'. The Director had made him an offer and was waiting until after this mission for his decision.

He hadn't told Chuck or Sarah about this.

"I think there's a couple watching us," Sarah muttered into her earpiece. Chuck jumped into action, scrolling through the cameras they installed until he managed to get a shot of the two people watching the Tai Chi class. Unfortunately, the closest shot only allowed them to make out the woman's red hair, basic stature and the man standing next to her in a suit and hat. They couldn't see his face.

"That looks like Sara Ellis," Bryce muttered curiously, leaning closer to the screen.

"The ex?" Chuck questioned.

"Yeah. What's she doing here?"

Chuck didn't have an answer. They watched her talk to the man and then leave.

Bryce made sure he wasn't in the same room as Sarah and Chuck. Instead he was placed in the room next to them. He thought that this made it awkward when he wanted to talk about the mission because he had to knock and wait before entering and going through greetings and such before getting to the reason he was there.

He wondered if Chuck felt like this, all those years ago, when he came to Sarah's room while Bryce was staying there.

He lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling as he mentally revised everything they knew about Bryan McKenzie. They knew he was interested in getting Sara Ellis back but didn't place it high on his list of priorities, not since Beijing.

He wondered if something happened there. They hadn't thought that Sara was involved but, maybe it was possible.

"Come in," he called in response to a knock at his door.

"Hey," Chuck said, walking in. "I wanted to ask, are you okay?"

"Huh?" Bryce questioned as he sat up and swung his legs onto the ground. "Why are you asking that?" He realised that his thoughts kept straying to the choice ahead of him but, it wasn't going to affect the mission.

"You put Sarah in the field. Not Sarah and I, not Sarah and you, just Sarah." Bryce raised an eyebrow, as if asking 'so?'. "What's going on?"

"Nothing you need to worry about," Bryce responded schooling his face into a blank mask.

"You've barely exchanged two words with Sarah outside of working on the mission," Chuck responded passionately, "of course I'm going to worry."

"So, because I'm focused on the job and not flirting with your wife, you think something's wrong?" Bryce responded angrily as he wanted Chuck not to interfere in his personal life.

"No. I think something's wrong because you're keeping to yourself," Chuck responded, "if you want to talk, I'm here."

"Fine," Bryce responded, "you want to talk? Let's talk. Sara Ellis, why is she hanging around?"

Chuck frowned for a moment before playing along. They brainstormed reasons for Sara Ellis hanging around her ex, from 'they work together' to 'she's the mastermind'. It took a few ridiculous theories, obviously taken from old movies, before Bryce realised he was smiling and enjoying himself.

"I would love to see your apartment," Sarah said, giving Bryan an infatuated smile. Listening from the van, Bryce and Chuck smirked at each other. Chuck held up a hand and, after exchanging glances where Chuck gave Bryce the hopeful and the kicked puppy looks, they hi-fived.

"Seriously?" Sarah questioned, hearing the clap through the earpiece. "You geeks." There was a smile and tease to her voice.

"Nerds," Chuck corrected with a dorky grin which not even years of spy-work could erase.

Bryce found himself grinning as well and couldn't help being swept along in the joke.

"You're the nerd," he said, "I'm the spy."

"Nuh-uh," Chuck responded, "I'm the one with the spy parents."

Bryce raised an eyebrow.

"You think that makes you a spy? If we're going by parents, I'd be an accountant." Mr. Larkin was a mild-mannered accountant who married his mother.

Chuck mused on that for a moment. After all, his cover years ago had been an accountant.

"Nah," he declared, "so not an accountant." And they laughed.

Bryce tried to remember the last him he had laughed for real and was shocked to realise how long it had been.

"Alright boys," Sarah scolded playfully through the earpiece, "let's get to work. Bryan's invited me back to his apartment."

"See if you can find anything in his apartment which might lead us to the missing tech."

"My money's on it being on the Stradivarius," Chuck said, "since it looks like a violin string."

"That's the obvious answer Chuck," Bryce responded, "and no one would take that bet."

"There are security cameras on the entrance," Sarah reported. Security cameras meant that there was no way they would be able to sneak in without him noticing. Bryce was about to order her to keep Bryan away from the monitor with the feed when she added, "I hear voices."

"I'm here 'cause you gave me a key," they heard a taut but flirtatious female voice said.

"Is that the ex?" Bryce questioned.

"I think so," Sara responded, "I'm at the bottom of the stairs and can't see them. He told me to wait; what do you think?"

"Let them talk," Bryce said, glancing over at Chuck, who nodded in agreement.

It was certainly Sara Ellis as they danced around their ended relationship. She said she missed him and he talked about how she abandoned him while he was being held by customs. She asked to go to the symphony and tries to convince him by kissing him.

And then a third voice muttered over the sound. Sarah gave a cry of surprise and there was a static-like, ruffling sound.

"Hey, stop!" she called moments after the sound stopped. She cursed. "Someone just snuck out of the place. He threw a sheet over my eyes so I couldn't see him."

"Stay where you are," Bryce ordered, grabbing his gun. "I'm going after him. Chuck, see if you can get a positive ID."

"Right." Chuck pulled his headphones on and focused his attention on the screens.

Bryce jumped out of the van and spotted Sara outside Bryan's place.

"That way," she motioned as he ran past.

Adrenaline pumping and feet pounding the sidewalk allowed Bryce to dispel his questions and worries and focus on catching their intruder. He bobbed through traffic and caught sight of a suit and a dark head of hair before he lost it. Bryce halted and glanced around.

"Lost him," he grumbled, "Chuck, you get a visual?"

"Nothing concrete," Chuck responded, sounding just as annoyed, "but it appears to be the same guy the ex was with yesterday."

"I don't think she's the ex anymore," Sarah pointed out in a short tone, "Bryan just came out and told me, 'thanks for coming but something's come up'."

Bryce sighed and ran a hand through his hand in frustration. Their mission was a failure, unless they could find another way.

"Alright, I'll meet you back at the van," he said, "we need a new plan."

* * *

Chuck recalled that Sara Ellis said something about a symphony and it hadn't taken him long to figure out which symphony Bryan had tickets too. They used company resources to get two tickets for themselves with Chuck and Sarah playing the couple and Bryce stationed outside in the van.

"You're okay with this, right?" Chuck kept asking him as sending in a couple had been Sarah's idea.

"I'm fine," Bryce kept responding. In truth, he didn't like it. He wanted to be out in the field and doing 'real' spy work like them. But, he knew he wouldn't be able to play a convincing couple with Sarah the way Chuck could and they couldn't take any risks tonight.

Bryce sat in the van with a bag of chips and a bottle of water, staring at the various security feed of the symphony and the building.

"Bryce, you there?" Chuck asked.

"Yeah," he responded.

"Bryan and Sara Ellis have arrived but, so has our mystery guy."

"The guy from the park?" Bryce questioned, interested. Maybe they would finally be able to ID him.

"Yeah," Chuck responded, "can't get a good look at him, just the back of his head. And I think he brought a date."

"There's a woman talking to Sara," Sarah explained, "body language suggests that they know each other."

Bryce rubbed his face. Sara Ellis was up to something and there was a chance that it could mess with their plans.

"It looks like Bryan knows the guy, although I wouldn't say they're friends," Chuck commented.

"It's starting," Sarah whispered as everything hushed. Bryce sighed and muted the mic before sitting back to what looked was probably going to be a long few hours. All through the first part, he was tossing up whether to tell Chuck. A second opinion might be nice and he could trust Chuck.

"Chuck, I want to talk to you okay?" he said, un-muting the mic, "Sarah can't hear me and I just want you to listen, okay?"

"Okay, sure," Chuck whispered under his breath, holding a hand to his mouth. Sarah gave him a curious glance but he shrugged it off.

"I got an offer from the Director," Bryce told him, "they want me in DC." He kind of wished he could see Chuck's reaction to this. "But, it means a desk job." They called it a 'well-deserved promotion' Looking over agents, running teams and ops, filing paperwork," he said that last bit in a distasteful tone, "that kind of thing. It means little to no fieldwork and the closest thing to it would be training the new recruits. It's a great opportunity but..." his voice trailed off. There shouldn't be a 'but'. But, he loved being in the field and being a spy. He didn't think he was suited an office life at all. Anyway, he was curious about the position and what it would be like. "Forget it. It's a great opportunity and they expect me to take it."

The sound of the symphony echoed in his ears as he muted the mic again and placed his head in his hands. He didn't know whether telling Chuck had made him feel better at all.

* * *

The first thing Chuck did when intermission started was follow the mark and the mystery guy to the bathroom.

"Congratulations, Bryce," he whispered as he followed them, "you certainly deserve it." Bryce nodded, even though Chuck couldn't see him; the Director had told him as much. "You don't sound happy about it though."

"I'm happy about it," he couldn't even convince himself with his voice sounding lethargic.

"You know what I think?" Chuck said, "I think you want to be out here, chasing bad guys."

At that moment, Bryce spotted Bryan leaving the bathroom from the second exit.

"Chuck!" he said, cutting off anything else he might want to say. "He's left the bathroom, and is heading down the halls."

Chuck swore and Bryce un-muted the mic to Sarah's earpiece.

"Bryan's on the move," he told her, "Chuck's following him."

Chuck grumbled under his breath as he dashed through the halls. The mystery guy talked away on his phone, unaware of what was going on. Bryce thought he looked familiar but couldn't place it. His identity was beginning to bug him.

Chuck followed Bryan into Room 207 and let out a quick girlish scream.

"Chuck, I can't see you," Bryce said, flipping through the cameras. There weren't any in Room 207. "What's going on?"

"Bryce?" Sarah inquired over the mic.

"You, you, you stabbed him!" Chuck said in a horrified tone, "why?"

"I didn't expect any witnesses," that was Bryan's voice and it only took Bryce one moment to decide what to do next.

"Sarah! Chuck's in Room 207." She was moving before he finished speaking, "go help him."

Then three things happened at once:

He noticed that he had lost the mystery guy and his date.

There was a grunt as Chuck took down Bryan.

And a female voice cried out, "FBI, freeze!"

He put his head in his hands. This was a now officially a mess. The date was FBI, did this mean the mystery guy was too?

"Bryce?" Chuck's surprised sounding gasp questioned.

"Yeah?" he said. Chuck was silent for a few moments.

"Chuck!" Sarah cried out as she entered the room.

"Who are you two?" the FBI agent asked.

"Sarah!" Chuck greeted in relief, "do you see the same thing I do?"

"Bryce?"

"What?" he snapped back in annoyance. Did they forget that he didn't have eyes inside the room? He was relying on just sound to try and understand what was happening.

"Uh, no," she corrected a moment later, "there's a guy here who looks just like you."

"Except he's in a suit."

"I wear suits," Bryce couldn't help correcting Chuck.

"Bryce?" This must be the mystery man speaking, his voice even sounding like his. Bryce felt a chill at the familiarity that rushed through him and the realisation of the mystery man's identity.

"Chuck, Sarah, pull out," he ordered, "let the FBI have him. They should be able to get him for murder."

"What?" Sarah questioned.

"Are you kidding?" Chuck added.

"Do you work with Bryce Larkin?" Danny – it had to be him – asked.

"Uh, yeah," Chuck responded cautiously.

"Who are you?" the female agent asked them for the second time.

* * *

When the FBI knocked on the door of his van, Bryce went with them. It didn't matter how much he didn't want to see Danny, he wasn't going to leave Sarah and Chuck alone to deal with this.

Besides, driving the van away would have been difficult and running would have gotten him nowhere since they knew his name and Chuck would probably crack in interrogation anyway. The female FBI agent bundled him into her car, thankfully without handcuffs, and drove him away.

To a suburban townhouse.

"Where are we?" Chuck asked curiously when she pulled up. He was seated by the window closest to the building and Bryce was in the middle, where he couldn't escape. Nerves bounced, twitched and buzzed inside of him and he really didn't want to do this.

So, he didn't. The FBI agent, Diana, told them this was her boss' house and brought them all inside and he didn't even look at the other man who came in with another man who was probably also an agent.

"Boss, you said to call if Neal did something big," Diana explained when the door opened, "well, this is big."

The place was homey and simple and fit the broad-shouldered man who opened the door. The man looked him curiously up and down with his dark eyes, calculating and assessing all in one.

"El's parents have taken Satchmo for a walk," he said as they walked in.

Danny stormed right into the kitchen where he poured himself a drink. Bryce went into the lounge and sat down. He crossed his arms, his legs and glared up at the 'boss'; Chuck and Sarah were talking with Sara Ellis and the FBI agents.

"Can I help you?" he asked the 'boss', who raise a single eyebrow in response.

"I'm Sarah Bartowski," Sarah said, walking over to them. Danny had returned by now with a glass of wine in his hand and a short, bespectacled man by his side.

Bryce refused to look at him.

"Special Agent Peter Burke," the 'boss' said, shaking Sarah's hand. "So, who wants to explain what's going on here?"

"No idea," Diana said, "beyond Bryan killing a man and finding these two," she pointed at Chuck and Sarah. "At the scene of the crime with their own Caffrey listening from a van outside."

"Larkin," Bryce corrected, "not Caffrey." Wasn't that his mother's maiden name?

The short man snorted.

"I find that hard to believe," he said, "there's no way you two can look so alike and not be related in some why."

"Moz," Danny said in a warning, but friendly, tone.

"They're also CIA," the male agent explained, "looking into Bryan because he stole a carbon polymer fibre while in Beijing."

Peter sighed.

"Is there an agent in charge?" he asked.

Bryce raised his hand and, except for Sarah and Chuck, they all stared at him in disbelief.

"What?" he demanded to know.

"It's just, hard to believe you?" Peter responded uncertainly.

"Excuse me?" he questioned.

"You do look like a known felon," Diana added, helpfully.

"I, what?" he gaped. Sarah and Chuck were also surprised but, it didn't show. This was actually less shocking than having a Bryce look-a-like burst into a murder scene with the FBI on his tail.

Bryce glared at Danny as this, was obviously his fault.

"If it bothers you that much, Chuck can help you," he said with a hopeless shrug. And then, in a move that was completely selfish and he knew it, he stormed out.

* * *

Bryce was lying on his bed when the tentative knock sounded from the door.

"Go away!" he called back, like a sulking child.

"Bryce, come on!" Chuck called before banging on the door. "Open up!"

"Go away, Chuck!" he said again and it seemed to work. Until there was a click from his door and it came swinging open.

"Thanks, honey," Chuck said to Sarah as Bryce sat up to glare at them. Chuck had called the wife to help him unlock the door.

"Really?" he questioned as she came storming in. She stood in front of him with her hands crossed under her breasts and dark eyes like thunder.

"This is not happening," she ordered furiously, "we have a mission to oversee because, even though the FBI's taken over, we still need to make sure that we get that fibre back. You can't back out."

"I'm not backing out," Bryce responded, "I'm waiting for the FBI to find the fibre and send it to us."

She mused on that for a moment, the fury not fading one bit.

"Really? Because you've been very 'hands-off' this mission," she retaliated, "is this a test run for you? To see what'll be like if you go to DC?"

His mouth dropped open and he shot Chuck a glare. Chuck just shrugged in a 'what can you do?' way. He didn't appreciate Chuck telling his wife but, he kicked himself for not seeing this coming. It didn't take much to get Chuck to crack, especially if you're Sarah Bartowski.

"No!" he responded in a horrified tone. Although, he wondered.

"Then, is this about Neal Caffrey?" she asked.

"Who?" he responded with almost genuine confusion. He could guess at who 'Neal Caffrey' was but he wasn't going to.

"The guy who looks like you," Chuck said in a helpful tone.

"And it's amazing how both he and you claim never to have met but you still won't look at each other," Sarah continued, "or talk to each other. Normally, you'd be a little bit interested, if you met someone who looked like you, right?"

Bryce told himself he didn't care. It wasn't like the empty hole in his chest that appeared with his brother's disappearance had vanished now that he knew for certain that he was still alive. Danny had left without a word, until today.

"That's none of your business," he said in a dismissive voice.

"Actually, it is," Sarah said with a tone of finality, "the FBI found the fibre. So, we have to go collect it but, I need to know if you're going to go or if you want us to go."

Bryce opened his mouth, about to say 'can't it wait until morning?' when he realised that wasn't right. He was spy, an agent of the CIA and he couldn't blow of responsibilities because he had an emotional day. They were trained so that they wouldn't have 'emotional days'.

There was a knock at the door before Neal Caffrey pushed it open.

"Agents?" he questioned, holding up a briefcase. "I have what you're looking for."

"Geez, Neal," Peter said pushing the man over the threshold and walking in after him. "It's like you want them to shoot you."

"Now you sound like Moz," Neal grumbled as he placed the briefcase on the ground.

"Agent Burke," Chuck greeted.

"We brought you the fibre," Peter explained. He placed a hand on the small of Neal's back and pushed him forward. "And Neal explained the relationship between him and your agent."

"Well, that's good because Bryce isn't telling us anything," Sarah explained.

Bryce gave them curious looks.

"We didn't plan this," Chuck said to him in a flustered manner, worried about what Bryce was thinking.

"I didn't say anything," Bryce informed him. He did think it though. Separate them and then try and make them talk was a basic interrogation technique.

"Sara actually figured it out," Peter said, obviously speaking about Sara Ellis, "she kept questioning him until she landed on the 'twins and he left' theory. She was furious."

"She has a sister who ran away and hasn't been seen since," Neal explained softly and Bryce felt like it had been ages since he heard his voice, "she feels like I did the same thing which is the ultimate crime to her."

"Twins?" Chuck questioned glancing at Bryce.

He sighed and finally nodded.

"He disappeared and I hadn't seen or heard from him until today." That seemed to switch something in Chuck, Sarah and Peter. Sarah's arms dropped to her side and Chuck smiled.

Peter moved to herd them out.

"Let's give them some time to talk," he said, "since Neal won't be able to visit again."

"Why?" Chuck asked curiously.

"I have a two mile radius," Neal explained, pulling up his pant leg where a tracker was attached around his ankle. "This hotel is outside of it."

"All the more reason to talk now," Peter said before closing the door.

Bryce stared at Neal, who shifted nervously on his heels.

"So, how have you been?" Neal finally asked.

Bryce threw a knife at the wall behind him, as it was either that or punch him in order to get rid of the frustration he felt. And then they talked.


	10. TGE - The Great Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Nina on fanfiction.net:  
>  _And something with Dobbs ? After he shoots Neal in the leg ?_

**The Great Rescue**

* * *

Neal had been cuffed to the chair with a rag tied around his mouth and a bullet wound in his leg. Agent Collins had made a deal with Henry Dobbs, the proprietor of Cape Verde. That deal landed Neal this cage with a bullet hole in his leg, all because he came to Dobbs for help hiding away from Collins.

His leg stung and burned. He blinked tears of pain from his eyes, trying to figure out how he could escape when he couldn't walk.

The door to his dungeon quietly opened and he shot his best glare towards whoever was entering. The first thing he noticed was the gun and then the dark locks hidden under a skinny brim hat.

His skinny brim hat.

"Hey," he stated in an offended tone.

"Wow," Bryce said, taking off his sunglasses and placing them on the hat. Neal winced at the sight. "So, that's how you greet me when I come to save you?"

"That's how I greet you when you commit horrible, terrible atrocities against fashion," Neal responded.

"Black goes with everything," Bryce commented, tugging at his black button-up shirt. Then he dropped it and entered the cage through the side Neal opened earlier, during his thwarted attempt at escaping. "Let's get you out of here."

"That's going to be a little difficult," Neal said, wincing as pain shot up his leg. He moved wrong.

"You're shot?" Bryce examined the injury and swore as Neal hissed in pain.

"Ow."

"Don't be a baby," Bryce said, patting him on the leg and sending more throbs of pain up Neal's leg. "We'll get you out and then I'll look at your leg."

"Why are you here?" Neal questioned as Bryce hoisted him up. His arm went around his younger twin's shoulders and Bryce's arm went around his waist to balance him.

"You told Mozzie about Collins and, even though you thought he wouldn't be a problem," Bryce put extra emphasis on this part and Neal gave him a scathing look in response which he ignored. "Mozzie called me."

"So, you're Mozzie's insurance," Neal commented, "do you know how weird that is?"

"'Scuse me?"

"You're a company man," Neal pointed out, "and Mozzie's, Mozzie."

"I'm a company man who he believes he can get information off," Bryce responded, "and I'm your brother. He knows I'll help you."

Neal was about to respond when Bryce shifted. Neal's injured leg hit the ground with enough force to collapse under his weight.

They both cursed as Neal almost toppled and Bryce strained to hold him up.

"Let's focus on getting out of here, okay?" Bryce suggested, breathing heavily from the strain to his arms.

Neal nodded and wiped the sweat from his brow.

* * *

Neal hissed as Bryce dug around for the bullet.

"It might help if you look away," Bryce pointed out in a frustrated tone. They were on the run, hiding out in one of the safe houses Mozzie had the forethought to establish.

"I hate you," Neal grumbled through the pain as he focused on the door and willed Peter or Mozzie to appear. Bryce ignored it.

"Almost done," Bryce said as he stitched him up, "and you have to stay off your feet. Do not put any pressure on it. Neal? You listening?"

"No pressure," Neal repeated, "got it."

Bryce sighed and shook his head. He was willing to bet that Neal didn't care about the injury as much as getting off the island.

"Neal?" Peter called.

"In here!" Bryce called back, wondering if Peter would be able to tell the difference.

Mozzie walked in with Peter behind him.

"Ah, I see you got my message," Mozzie said as Peter pulled up short.

"Peter!" Neal gasped, "uh..."

"If you're worried about your twin, we already knew about him," Peter explained with a smirk.

"How?" Bryce and Neal questioned together.

Peter just raised an eyebrow in response.

"What happened to you?" he asked Neal, changing the subject.

"I got shot."

"Oh. Welcome to the club," Mozzie said.

"It's good to be a member," Neal said sharply, "and I'm fine. Thank you."

Bryce mouthed, 'there's a club?' and Mozzie waved it off.

"So, what now?" Peter asked.

"I managed to borrow a key to Dobb's boat," Bryce told them. Neal smiled proudly and Bryce 'accidentally' placed his hand on Neal's injury.

"Ow," he winced and glared up at his brother.

"Excellent," Mozzie exclaimed, "now we need to find Dobbs' boat."

"The modelled boats in Dobbs' library all have women's names, right?" Neal pointed out.

"Yeah. Claudia. Annette. Adele," Mozzie recited.

"Esmeralda. Isabella," Bryce added.

A look of realisation grew on Peter's face.

 _"Isabella I can tell-a. Esmeralda, find Adelle-a,"_  he sung,  _"Mirabella, so compel-a;_

"Was there a Mirabella?" Peter asked, turning to them. Neal, Bryce and Mozzie exchanged confused looks.

"Yeah," Bryce finally said.

" _Rob's fair ladies_ ," Peter finished excitedly, "forget the boat. I think I have a way to get you back to New York!"


	11. HE - Happy Endings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From LianneZ4:  
>  _"How about Bryce somehow helps Neal during the Kate/music box mess? Maybe Neal contacts him from prison when Kate breaks up with him, or maybe he somehow interferes later... Bonus points for one twin posing as the other and for a happy ending."_

**Happy Endings**

* * *

Heat and sound pressed down on him. Ringing sounded in his ears. He wished he hadn't figured out what had happened so quickly.

He wished he hadn't turned to check; he wished he hadn't seen the ball of fire that was a plane only moments ago.

Smoke rose to the air, pulling ashes up with it and debris covered in flame scatters over the ground.

"KATE!" He needed to see it; he needed to see her. But he couldn't see her so, on impulse, he surged towards the flame. "KATE!" Hands grab him, pull him back and there's Peter's voice and Peter's warmth, so different to the heat of the flames. It grounded him enough to let the tears flow freely. He could stop holding the cries of anguish back and just let it all go.

He doesn't remember much after that. It seemed like he blinked and he was back behind bars, as if it was all a nasty dream.

He wished it was a dream.

* * *

Here's what Neal didn't know. And someone really owed him an apology for not telling him until after:

* * *

The pilot of the plane was one of Kate's choosing. And she chose the second-best man she knew.

He wasn't sitting in the cockpit either, but standing near her.

"Agent Burke's here," she said.

"Dial the number," he told her, pulling out a fire blanket. He had an idea what would happen now that things were about to go wrong. He had planned for this.

The plane had an exit on the other side. He pulled her up and dragged her out. He had to pull her along as she kept glancing back to where Neal was walking up to the plane.

Neal would be fine; they were the ones in danger. The explosion sent a force slamming into their backs, cutting Kate off mid-sentence and sending them sprawling across the ground as fire rained down on them. Bryce held up the fire blanket for protection and grabbed the phone from where it fell and tossed it back into the flames.

Kate let out a hiss of pain and he pulled her forward and away from the hanger. A burning plane stood between them and Neal.

"Hurry," he ordered as he pulled off his jacket and passed her a police cap. She took off her jacket, tied up her hair and placed the cap on her head. Bryce tugged his hair back and made sure his sunglasses hadn't come off in the explosion. They were dressed well enough to pass for police in the short-term.

"Alright," he said, "let's go."

* * *

Here's what Neal did know:

After Peter refused to let him search for Kate, even with the picture as his evidence, Neal made a phone call.

Bryce didn't pick up and, as far as he knew, he didn't receive any of his messages or he did and he ignored them.

* * *

What Neal didn't know was that Bryce had been shot, again. He was on bed rest for weeks and light duty for a few months after that. By the time the CIA was letting him back out, Neal had already been out on the anklet for a few weeks.

Bryce burnt his old number and so didn't find out about Neal's situation until he took a quick mission to New York. He had expected to find Neal out and possibly engaged to Kate; if Neal had got the courage to actually ask instead of just dreaming or freaking out about it.

He didn't see Neal and so he received most his information second-hand from FBI reports, phone calls to Hughes and emails to Peter. It was enough.

It allowed him to meet with Kate moments after Peter left. It allowed him to speak with her as Neal's twin brother; "by the way, nice to meet you," he had said before taking her gun out of her handbag and scolding her for having it.

He helped her play the situation and untangle the web she had gotten stuck in. He was the one to realise that it wasn't just about some box, it was about revenge.

Revenge made things messy. It meant that this was also about her and Neal and there was less chance they would make it out of this alive if their usefulness ran out.

That day on the plane, Kate's usefulness ran out. If it hadn't been for Bryce, who knows what might have happened?

* * *

Neal sat in his cell. Peter had promised to get him back out but, he didn't care. He sat there, on the bed with his legs crossed and just stared at the wall. He didn't have the energy to do much else.

"Neal?" He twitched at the sound of her voice. "Neal?" His head turned towards the entrance of the cell, where she was standing.

"Kate?" he questioned, crawling off the bed. The door to his cell opened and they met just inside, his hands wrapping tight around her.

"I'm sorry!" she said to him, holding him just as tightly. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

Bryce stood there as they hugged and whispered promises to each other. Finally, he had to speak.

"Agent Burke's going to get you out of here soon," he said.

"I know that," Neal responded, placing his forehead against Kate's. Now that he had her back, he didn't want to let her go.

"What do you want to do?" Bryce prodded, moving closer to Neal.

"I think I'll take the deal, go back to June's and work off the rest of my sentence, would you stay with me?" he said to Kate.

She nodded.

While Neal was staring longingly into Kate's eyes, Bryce bumped up against his brother and pushed something into his hand.

Neal gave him a curious glance, his other hand still attached to Kate.

"It's a better option than the one you hid in plain sight," Bryce explained coolly as Neal's fingers explored the object.

He froze when he realised what it was.

He swallowed.

"Uh, Kate?" he said, feeling a lump in his throat.

"Yes?" she questioned in a confused tone. She glanced between him and Bryce, wondering if what she wanted to happen was happening.

"I know I'm just a con and," he looked around at the bland prison walls and made a face as he said, "this probably isn't what you expected when we started dating but, when Peter gets me out of here, would be willing to help me build a life on the outside?"

"Of course," she insisted, placing her hand over his. He twisted his hand, so she could feel what he was holding. He waited until comprehension lit on her face and she gave a little gasp before he knelt.

"Kate Moreau, will you-"

"Yes!" she squealed before he finished, taking the ring and slipping it onto her finger without his help.

Bryce laughed at Neal's surprised expression.

"About time you asked," she told him, hugging him and giving him a kiss on the cheek and then on the lips.

"Maybe you shouldn't have run?" he suggested in between kisses.

"Oh, I'm getting the talk on not running from Neal Caffrey?" she joked, leaning back to give him a smug look. "Really?"

Bryce cleared his throat, reminding the happy couple that he was there.

"Best man?" Neal asked him, not even needing to ask the full question. "I'd make it Peter but, he throws terrible, terrible parties."

"But, he's married to a professional event planner," Kate questioned, crinkling her nose in confusion.

"And she'll be planning the wedding but, not the bachelor party," Neal said.

"I really hope I'm not about to see the first fight break out," Bryce pointed out. They laughed and Neal shook his head.

Kate untangled from him.

"I think I need to make your brother understand just what's going to be allowed at this 'bachelor party'," she said giving him one last kiss before leaving.

"I haven't said 'yes' yet!" Bryce pointed out.

"Oh, you will," Kate said confidently.

Neal listened to their footsteps walk away with a goofy smile planted on his face. He couldn't wait to tell Peter about this.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Guest at Fanfiction.net:  
>  _You should do one where Mozzie walks in Neal's apartment and finds the Bryce and Neal talking at the kitchen table and thinks Neal is some clone that the government has created._

**Government Sanctioned**

* * *

Mozzie opened the door to Neal's apartment and then paused. Sitting at the table, looking like deers in the headlights, were two Neals.

Mozzie blinked and then took his glasses off, cleaned them and placed them back on his face.

Still two Neals. One with messy parted hair and dressed in black like a thief and one with impeccable hair and dressed in a suit, like a suit. A rich suit. And a rich suit could only be one of a few things.

The thief Neal stood up, keeping a wary eye on him.

The suit Neal held up his hands in surrender and began to speak.

"Moz, I know this looks bad-" Mozzie held up a hand to silence him. He stepped closer and stared at him. And then he looked at the thief one.

"See, this is what happens when you leave your DNA where anyone can get it!" he scolded the thief, "the government gets hold of it and, before you know it, there's another 'you' running around!"

"Uh, that's not how this happened," the thief tried to explain.

"Don't try and hid it, Neal!" Mozzie said, ignoring the way the thief's eyes widened in surprise, "now, where did you find him?"

"'Find him'?"

"Excuse me?" the clone questioned, in a offended tone.

"Did you rescue him or did he come to you?" Mozzie asked, "if you rescued him then good but, if he came to you then there's no telling what his agenda is."

"I... rescued him," the thief explained, "of course."

"Where from?"

The thief glanced at the clone. The clone shrugged in a 'go with it' way. Mozzie wondered if they were able to communicate telepathically, it would allow the clone to play the part of its 'parent' easily.

"There's a warehouse and underneath is a secret base, I found him there."

That sounded reasonable.

"Which warehouse?" he asked.

The thief rattled off the address and then added, "but it's gone now. Destroyed by a fire."

Mozzie made an approving noise. Fire was good as it burned all traces you were there.

"Now, if you don't mind, I need to educate my clone on living in the real world," the thief said, dismissing him.

"You shouldn't be left alone," Mozzie said, "what if it tries to steal your identity?"

The clone gave a disbelieving snort.

"Then, I'm off anklet and the FBI won't know," the thief said in a suggestive way. Mozzie mouthed 'ah' as he realised that leaving a clone to carry out Neal's sentence was a brilliant idea. However, the thief had to speak again and ruin his hopes that Neal was ready to run. "But, that's not going to happen."

"Curses," Mozzie said, feeling thwarted as the thief guided him out of the apartment.

* * *

Neal, 'the suit' and 'the clone' in Mozzie's eyes, glared at Bryce, 'the thief'.

"What?" Bryce questioned, "he bought it."

"And you couldn't tell him the truth because...?"

"He wouldn't believe it?" Bryce suggested, "honestly Neal, he really thought I was you."

Neal continued to glare silently.

"I told him part of the truth?"

Neal finally spoke in reply to that.

"I noticed." Pause. "Think you could tell me exactly what happened at that warehouse?"


	13. BFOT - Batting for the Other Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Syrus07:  
>  _"Not really a Neal and Bryce thing, but since Bryce and his family are from Connecticut is it possible that Neal just pretends to hate baseball because he grew up in a Sox house and doesn't want to get into a rivalry argument?"_
> 
> I don't know anything about baseball. Syrus07 helped with fact-gathering. I apologise for any mistakes.

**Batting for the Other Team**

* * *

Neal walked into the office with a wide grin on his face, a coffee in his hand and a spring in his step which annoyed almost all the agents.

"Put that smile away, Caffrey," Jones grumbled.

"But, it's a beautiful day," Neal commented with a smirk, "the sun is shining, my coffee is real coffee and is not the office mud and-"

"The Yankees lost to the Red Sox," Peter pointed out in a grim tone coming down from his office to make sure Neal's good mood didn't instigate a riot.

It was a good thing that Neal didn't care about sports otherwise the other agents would have been all on his case and trying to bring his mood down to what the crushing loss deserved.

Or, they thought he didn't care about sports. And he tried to cultivate that image of himself. But, there was one sport he cared about.

Baseball.

* * *

Usually, Neal didn't care for the game. He didn't care about the players, the teams, the games or who won but, there's an exception to every rule and one rivalry that Neal was an avid fan follower of.

After all, his favourite memory was of sitting on a couch with Ellen and Bryce while watching the game on TV. There was popcorn and fizzy drinks, which were both things their mother usually didn't let them have. Ellen also made them hot dogs to eat while they sat in front of the TV and refused to move.

Bryce pretended to be one of the players and proclaimed that he was going to grow up to play. He would run fast, hit better and take the world by storm.

Neal said he wanted free tickets because they were brothers and he had already decided to be part of the police force.

Some of the best nights ever were game nights.

Neal considered himself a New Yorker at heart except for this one thing: he was a fan of the Red Sox.

The White Collar division would chew him up and spit him out if he ever made that fact public.

* * *

Peter wasn't happy about this, Neal knew. He knew because he wasn't either. The second game of the series was tonight and they were both missing it because someone decided to plan a museum break in on game night.

It was sacrilege. Neal never pulled a heist on game night. Mozzie didn't get it, but after the last lecture about the importance and sanctity of the game, he stopped trying.

He also commented that when it came to the game Neal sounded like the Suit, now that Mozzie knew the Suit well enough to confirm that. To which Neal pointed out that this was another thing that he and Peter were miles apart and totally different about this.

Peter was a Yankees fan and Neal was a Red Sox fan.

Mozzie said it sounded the same to him and Neal's retuning glare was enough to get him to change the subject.

"Stop playing with the buttons!" Peter ordered, slapping Neal's hand away. He was in a bad mood since all he had was the radio. "We're listening to the game tonight. My car, my station."

"Fine," Neal grumbled. He knew that Peter would believe that he did this because he found the game boring to listen to and not because Peter's choice of station had a Yankees fan for an announcer.

At least he planned for this. He had his own radio, okay, it was an ipod and he could use it listen to the game. He had also set up phone alerts so, while not an idyllic game night, it was still better than trying to listen to the game while in prison.

He leant his head back and closed his eyes, listening to the announcer ramble on and trying to tune out the announcer that Peter had chosen.

* * *

It was only the promise of an escort to the latest art museum exhibit that got Neal to come to Jones' place the night the Yankees would play the Red Sox. Jones was having a thing where he was inviting everyone over to watch the game on his flat-screen TV.

It promised to be a night of beers and baseball, two of Peter's favourite things.

Jones had bribed Neal to come as he had unthinkingly made a bet with Diana that he could get the ex-conman to come. Diana had relayed the bet to Peter so that she had a witness when Jones lost.

Fortunately for Jones, they never said he couldn't bribe Neal to come. Diana had visibly deflated when Neal appeared on Jones' doorstep with Peter and a bottle of wine. Jones puffed out his chest in pride.

"Don't let to get to your head," Neal said, adding that he was only there because 'someone' promised to take him to the latest exhibit.

"Seriously, Caffrey, wine?" Diana questioned grumpily as Neal poured himself a glass.

Neal just gave her an expression that seemed to say, 'I'm here to watch sports, I think I'm going to need this'. Also, instead of sitting with the rest of them, he sat behind them.

Peter, in his typical fashion, kept on eye on Neal. Something was off and it didn't fully hit him until later when El asked.

"He seemed almost... upset, when the Yankees were ahead but when the Red Sox were ahead, he seemed happy about it. Think he was doing it to get to me?"

"Well, hon, maybe he likes the Red Sox," El had suggested in an offhanded way.

* * *

Peter didn't think much of it. After all, it was common knowledge that Neal didn't like sports. But, the very next week, while waiting for Neal to get ready, he suddenly thought about it.

It was crazy but, Peter found himself looking around Neal's wardrobe for any clues as to whether Neal did like sports. Most of his clothes were nice, except those he painted in, and not at all suited for sports. The closest thing he could find was an outfit which Neal might wear jogging and his swimwear, which were in the drawers next to his bed.

The water in the shower turned off, causing him to jump. What was he doing; searching Neal's stuff like some kind of thief? Peter shook his head at his folly and was about to close the drawer when a seam caught his eye. It was a hoodie, an inside out hoodie.

It was unlike Neal to put something away, folded inside out. Peter pulled it out and flipped it.

"What the?" he questioned out loud. It was hoodie alright; a dark hoodie with 'Red Sox' printed in red with white outline on the front.

"It was a gift," Neal said, causing Peter's heart to stop. He had walked out in the bathrobe while Peter had been examining the item in his hands.

"Neal, do you – are you a supporter of the Red Sox?" Peter asked, realising that it made sense when compared with his behaviour at Jones'.

And that day in the office when he was all cheery, right after the Red Sox won! Peter realised in a rush.

Neal seemed to be a little flustered and he didn't answer, which was answer enough.

"Uh, wow," Peter said, uncertain about what this meant and how he felt about it. "You like baseball?"

"I only pay attention to the Red Sox," Neal said defensively, "and really only when they're matched up with the Yankees."

Peter really had no idea what to say. Someone he considered a friend being a supporter of the 'Red Sox' was something he never expected. And for the someone to be Neal, he felt this should be big.

"Why didn't you mention it?" he asked, even though he had an idea of the answer.

"Are you kidding me?" Neal responded with a raised eyebrow. "Half the office supports the Yankees and the other half support other teams but will tip the Yankess to win against the Red Sox. And a very, very small portion, which doesn't include me like you originally thought, don't care. Peter, I can make being a felon work but, I can't make being a Red Sox fan in New York."

"Why not?" Peter asked.

"Really?" Neal was surprised he asked. "Remember that Red Sox supporter Jones and Blake ran into the day after the game last week?"

"Oh," Peter said as realisation dawned. That had almost been a mess. It was Blake, surprisingly enough, who had risen to the taunts the other man said which had almost ended in a brawl. As it was, it had been a very vocal and nasty argument about whose team was better.

"You guys take it seriously enough that, I'd really not want to find out how bad it'd get if everyone knew."

Peter wasn't blind so he knew how bad the rivalry could be but, he had always considered it part of the game. But now he was putting Neal in that position, the one marked 'enemy', and he didn't like it.

There was now a little part of his head, titled 'exception', that he placed Neal in.

"Could you not tell anyone?" Neal asked.

"Of course," Peter agreed, passing the hoodie to Neal. "On one condition; you watch the next game at my house."

"Just us?" Neal questioned, "'cause it's hard to hide when I'm watching the game."

"Us and El," Peter corrected in confirmation.

There was a moment before that sunk in but, when it did, Neal smiled. He could already imagine sitting on the Burke's couch with Peter next to him and holding a beer. Maybe El would bring them snacks while the game was on and maybe she would be right there with them, cheering for whichever team she preferred.


	14. WBM2 - The Buy More Comes to You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Love_82:  
>  _I would love to see more in this verse with Peter bringing Bryce back to NY and Neal finding out about Bryce being CIA._

**WBM2 - The Buy More Comes to You**

* * *

Something was going on with Caffrey. He couldn't sit still, getting up every few moments to run some kind of errand and tapping incessantly while at his desk. Everyone knew it had something to do with Peter's return that day; their boss had been in Burbank the past few days but had phoned Neal while there.

* * *

That phone call had scared the entire office. It had started normally enough and Diana had been standing next to Neal and getting his advice on a case when his phone rang.

"Hey, Peter!" Neal had greeted cheerfully, "how's LA?" He listened for Peter for a few moments and then said, "yeah, El told me about that." He laughed. "Tell me, how does someone spill coffee on their laptop?"

Diana had a little chuckle at that, Jones looking horrified behind her. He was always preaching the importance of keeping your laptop safe and secure and their boss had gone and poured coffee over it.

It had seemed like a normal phone call, until Neal froze. Confusion flashed across his face before realisation appeared to dawn and his eyebrows knitted angrily. Even his eyes seemed to go cold. Diana took a step back, feeling a thrill of uncertainty go through her.

Neal Caffrey was never that easy to read, he never froze and he never seemed angry. This was unknown territory.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! NOT ONLY DID YOU FAKE YOUR DEATH BUT YOU'RE WASTING YOUR TALENTS IN A BUY MORE?" The entire office was filled with his voice. Agents froze and turned to stare at him, some going slack-jawed. "YOU HAVEN'T CONTACTED ME IN YEARS AND WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, BRYCE?"

"Was that Caffrey?" Hughes questioned, coming out of his office and walking down to the nearest agent, in this case, Jones.

"Oh yeah," Jones responded as if he couldn't believe it.

"Caffrey!" Hughes said in a scolding tone.

Neal blinked and his grumpy face vanished underneath a conman smile.

"Yes, sir?" he asked innocently.

"No personal calls." It wasn't a rule but, Hughes didn't need another outburst.

"Sorry, I'll hang up in a moment," Neal said pleasantly. He then turned back to the phone and said, "look, I can't really talk now. Get the story from Peter. Also, give him back the phone so I can explain." Neal leaned forward on his desk and pressed his hand to his eyes, stress radiating off him.

They thought this would be the end of the surprises but, Neal spoke again.

"Congratulations, Peter." He sounded tired and emotionally drained. "You found my twin brother."

'Twin?' Blake mouthed to Wesley, who shrugged in reply.

"Someone get me Caffrey's personal file," Hughes ordered, "Berrigan, send him up to me when he's done."

"Yes. I haven't seen the guy in years, last I heard he had been working as an accountant and was shot dead during a bank robbery," Neal explained into the phone with every agent listening to his words.

* * *

After that phone call, Neal had been quiet and contemplative as well as the focus of gossip around the office. But, now that seemed to change. Quiet and contemplative became fidgety and active. Diana had tried to distract him but had failed. Jones talked to him about the woman he was seeing Friday and Blake asked him to make an origami flower for him to give to the girl who moved into the apartment two doors down from his.

Even Hughes had sent Neal on a coffee run, although it was because he wanted Neal out of the office when Peter returned. He knew that Neal would corner his agent the moment Peter returned and he wanted to talk to Peter first.

No one had expected Peter to return with a Caffrey look-a-like. He walked off the elevator with Bryce right behind him, talking to him about something.

Bryce was dressed in a simple blue shirt and jeans and stepped broadly, rounding around to face Peter the moment he opened the door.

"Why not?" he asked, his hands going to his hips.

Peter sighed and his eyes scanned the office, in a way that seemed to be calling for assistance.

Bryce paused and turned around, immediately noting the number of eyes on them. He stepped out of the way and let Peter in.

"Maybe we should continue this in your office?" he suggested, eyeing the room suspiciously.

"No," Peter responded flatly, "we're not talking about this. Now, I've got work to do."

"What am I supposed to do?" Bryce asked, following him up.

Peter stopped and glanced around before pointing to Diana.

"Diana, you mind?" He didn't need to finish the question, she knew what he was asking.

A horrified and offended look crossed Bryce's face.

"I don't need a babysitter," he said. Diana gracefully stepped between him and Peter.

"Burke!" Hughes called from above, complete with the double finger point.

Peter nodded and started up the steps, leaving Bryce in the middle of the bullpen and surrounded by agents.

"Would you like a coffee while you wait?" Diana asked as presently as she could. He shot her a put-out look and she added, "that's pretty much all the courtesy you'll get from me so, I suggest you take it."

"I'm fine, thanks," he responded shortly with none of Neal's grace. He took another look around at all the agents still staring at him. "Don't you agents have work to do?" His tone held authority, making his question sound more like an order. The agents scrambled back to whatever they were doing before.

Jones let out a soft, impressed whistle.

"So, coffee laptop guy said my brother works here," Bryce asked them, "where is he?"

"'Coffee laptop guy'?" Diana snorted at Bryce's nickname for Peter.

"Nicknames aren't my forte," he responded with a shrug. "Besides, you obviously know who I'm talking about."

"Neal went to get coffee," Diana said.

"And he's back," Jones pointed out, nodding at the door. Neal walked in with a tray of coffees which he placed on his desk.

"Bryce," he said, his voice soft.

Bryce nodded to him.

"Danny."

Neal winced at the sound of his old name.

"It's Neal, actually."

"I know." There was an awkward silence after that as they both shuffled on their feet and looked anywhere but at their brother.

"Wow, Neal Caffrey, lost for words," Diana commented. It was almost painful to watch them and she knew what to say to at least get Neal going. "I never thought I'd see that."

"Special circumstances, Diana," Neal said.

"I've got a question," Jones said, mostly to Bryce, "how come we didn't find you when investigating Neal?"

"I have no idea," Bryce responded, "maybe you didn't look hard enough?"

"Wow," Neal commented when the bristles of almost every agent in earshot went up. "Insulting the FBI? You live a dangerous life, Bryce." When Bryce didn't respond, Neal turned to Jones. "Bryce has no connection to 'Neal Caffrey', that's why you didn't find him."

Jones raised a quizzical eyebrow as that answer created more questions. Diana was interested to know why Bryce didn't have a connection to Neal when they were identical twin brothers. But, answers were never to come as Peter came out and beckoned Neal and Bryce upstairs.

* * *

For the second time since they had known him, Neal's voice filled the office.

"WHAT?" Not even the door to Hughes' office hindered it and Neal's voice projected loud and clear.

Agents all glanced up at the office, wondering what was going on. Diana frowned and closed the file she was working on. They were agents and curiosity was almost a job requirement.

She walked up the stairs and knocked on Hughes office door.

"Excuse me, sir?" she questioned, like a concerned underling. "Is everything alright?" Meanwhile, she scanned the room. Neal dropped into the chair when she entered and was holding his head in his hands. Peter was in the other chair with an apologetic look in his eyes. Bryce was leaning against the wall with an impassive expression on his face.

Hughes lips were pursed and his face was slightly red with irritation.

"Everything's fine," Peter said.

"Out," Hughes interrupted in a strained order, "and no one else to is bother us until we're done."

Diana knew something was going on. She just didn't expect to find out what.

* * *

She was barely home five minutes before there was a knock at her door. A tired looking Caffrey stood there with a sheepish expression on his face and a bottle of wine in his hand.

"Can I come in?" he asked. When she nodded, he smiled and walked in. "Thanks. Bryce is at my place and I don't want to see him right now."

"Why?" she asked.

Neal examined her, staring for what seemed like a long time.

"Today, I found out why he faked his death," he said with a sigh.

"Why?" Diana asked, unable to keep the curious tone from her voice as she slid into the chair across from Neal.

"He was mortally wounded and everyone thought he was dead," Neal grumbled, "except he was saved by, unbelievably enough, people from a 'hostile espionage organisation' who kept his revival secret until two of his colleges recovered him."

It only took her a moment to figure out what that might mean.

"So, he's either a Fed or a VIP," she guessed, "and he's probably not a VIP because his 'death' wasn't highly publicised or covered up."

Neal gave a snort of laughter at her deduction skills, which was insulting.

"What?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him.

"He's a Fed," Neal said, "part of the company, the agency, a spook, whatever you call it."

Diana swore.

"Seriously?" A spy? The little girl in her loved that while the FBI agent knew that CIA agents spelled trouble. "And he just told you this?"

Neal nodded.

"And I have no idea what to do about it," he said, "I know it's a dangerous job-"

"How do you know that?" she interrupted. He gave her a look that said, 'I know, let's leave it at that'.

"It's a dangerous job," he repeated, "but, also important. I know he won't give it up just because I ask." He stopped there and just stared at the table.

Neal Caffrey, unable to ask for help. She sighed and thought of her old bodyguard, Charlie. He had a dangerous job and had died doing it and she still felt the pain of loss when she thought of him.

"What are you doing here, Caffrey?" she asked rhetorically, "you're brother is in town and it's the first time you've seen him in ages and you're hanging out here. Dangerous job or not, you need to spend this time with him. Spend this time with him or you'll regret it one day."

"Every moment counts, huh?" he responded with a smile.

"That's right," she said, "now, do you need me to drive your drunk self home or what?"

He gave her an offended look but a real smile.

"I'm not drunk," he said, "and I'll get a taxi." He stood up and paused for a moment, to say, "thanks, Di," before leaving.


	15. SHDS - The Shades between Moralities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Beckers at AO3:  
>  _What if, when Peter and White Collar already knew about Bryce, Neal gets word that Bryce has been shot and killed again. Neal is in denial at first, until Chuck confirms it, and then Neal grieves hard. He and Peter go to Bryce's second (third?) funeral, and while there, Peter spots Bryce lurking in the shadows. There's some scolding about why Bryce can't do this to Neal again, not telling him he's alive._

**The Shades between Moralities**

* * *

A week before, Peter watched Neal's life come crashing down. It started innocently enough, with a letter delivered right before lunch. Neal was just as curious as everyone else and joked that it was a letter from an old criminal acquaintance or something.

His smile vanished the moment he opened it. He pulled out his phone and vanished down the hall to make a phone call.

Peter followed and only heard him demanding the person on the other end to tell him that this was a lie, a con or a terrible joke. Peter got close enough to hear the voice on the other end say that they were sorry and that Bryce was really dead.

Neal was still holding the letter which had the CIA header at the top and was a formal letter stating that one Bryce Larkin died in action.

_Oh no._

Peter pulled Neal up and took him home, to his home where El could make him comfort food and look after him. Beyond that, he didn't know what to do. Neal was silent and carried a depressed air. He didn't want to talk about it and he spent most of his time sitting and staring into the distance.

Peter didn't know what was worse, the blank stares or the false mask of 'I'm fine' he put on the day after when he went back to the office.

He and Mozzie once again worked as a team, in order to get Neal back to himself. Mozzie hung around June's, although June was the one indulging his company. Neal tuned him out and pretended he had too much to drink when he lost track of whatever was going on.

Peter invited Neal out with him and brought Neal home for as many meals as he could. El was comforting and normal around Neal and also the only one who had the guts to actually ask about Bryce. She was the one who finally got Neal to open up and talk about his brother; his likes and dislikes, and some of the crazy stuff that they did when they were younger.

And while Neal looked like he wanted to cry a few times, he never did. His eyes remained dry.

Even today, on the day of Bryce's funeral.

* * *

So, Peter considered himself justified when he punched Bryce in the nose. The stupid fool was standing outside, in the shadows of a building across from the church, with a pair of binoculars in one hand and a bird watching book in the other.

Peter wouldn't have spotted him if Neal hadn't asked for a moment alone. Having chased Neal for years, Peter was apt at picking out his appearance in a crowd. Bryce had made it easy, only wearing a pair of sunglasses and a blue beanie to hide his identity.

And when Peter was close enough to confirm, blinding rage took over and he lashed out.

"What was that for?" Bryce cried out indignantly as he clutched his nose. Peter had a little self-control in that he pulled his punch. It was enough to hurt but not enough to draw blood.

"'What was that for'? Really, Bryce?" Peter questioned, feeling a rush of annoyance that far outweighed any stupid stunt Neal had pulled.

"You have the wrong person."

"Don't give me that," Peter spat, "or would you rather I drag you downtown and check your identity? Make a big deal of this?"

Bryce gave him a distasteful glare.

"That's an abuse of power, don't you think?" he said, probing at Peter's weak spot. Any other day and with any other person, it might have worked.

"I don't care," he hissed. He pointed across the street at the church's cemetery. "Neal's over there right now, mourning your death; again!, and you're over here, watching?"

"So?" Apparently, one punch wasn't enough as Peter felt the urge to hit him again.

"'So'? Bryce, you can't fake your death just because!" At this, Bryce took a step into his personal space and glared up at him.

"'Just because'? I'm about to start a deep cover mission where no one will know if I die and it's likely to happen."

"A suicide mission?" Peter questioned, feeling like he had been punched in the gut, "why?"

"Because there's no one else. I have a unique skill-set and I have done this before. This," he jabbed his finger across the road. "Is so that they get a chance to say goodbye. It's so Neal doesn't end up never hearing from me again and forever wondering what happened. It's closure."

Peter took an uncertain step back. Bryce was right, this was closure. He knew that Sara still faced a lack of closure over her sister; she didn't know whether she was alive or dead or what had happened to her, and he didn't want Neal to go through that. Unable to stop searching faces in the crowd for lost loved ones or chasing impossible leads, unable to give up hope.

But, he didn't want Neal to believe his brother was dead when he really wasn't.

"Conflicted, aren't you?" Bryce said, his voice softening. "At least you're not watching your life end in the eyes of everyone else. And you won't have to deal with the initial anger if they find out you're alive." There was a heavy sadness in Bryce's words, along with longing. "They don't understand that it's just as hard on this side."

"You want me to keep it a secret?" Peter said, knowing that it was the only reason Bryce would tell him this. He was even more secretive about his emotions than Neal.

Bryce nodded once.

"On one condition. You come back after your mission and you tell Neal you're alive."

"You might be waiting forever for that," Bryce said, alluding to the fact that he might die.

"Better me than Neal," Peter responded. This was his compromise, the best compromise he could come up with in the situation.

Bryce nodded once in agreement.


	16. BCNVRS - Bedtime Conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Beckers:  
>  _"Maybe a conversation between Neal and Sara about their missing siblings - Sara and her sister, and Neal about Bryce. Maybe some angst. Just throwing that out there. :)_
> 
> Notes: more fluffy than angst. Probably around Season 3 of White Collar.

**Bedtime Conversations**

* * *

He was only wearing a pair of pyjama pants and she was only wearing a light pink gown, getting ready for bed, when she found it.

Sara held up the photo and smiled.

"I didn't know you had a twin," she said with pride in her discovery.

Neal's face went cold as the colour drained from it. The picture was of two teenagers with messy dark hair and matching smirks. It was supposed to be hidden under a loose floorboard, a classic hiding place that no one really looked for.

In a flash of panic, he snatched it from her hands and held it close. It was the only picture he took with him the night he left.

Sara stepped back, surprise and hurt flashing over her face, which quickly gave way to suspicion.

"I'm guessing Peter doesn't know," she said. A borderline accusal.

Neal didn't appreciate it and it looked like they wouldn't be getting any sleep until she got her answers.

"No, Peter doesn't know," he said shortly, "and neither does Mozzie. Are you done?"

"No way, Junior," she responded, moving to sit on the bed. "I told you about my sister so spill."

Neal sighed and looked at the picture. The teenagers looked so happy and carefree, unaware of the things they would face in the future. Sara's story about his missing sister had hit a little too close to home when she had told it.

"Yes, I have a twin brother," he said, "we grew up together until he went to university and I, uh-"

"Ran away?" she guessed in a slightly spiteful tone. He looked at her in surprise. "I think it's rather obvious; you're a thief and Peter hasn't been able to find out anything about your family. You ran away and changed your name."

"Well, technically, I changed my name and I left." He spotted the way her expression darkened and decided to explain more, before she tore him a new one for putting his family through something similar to what she had been through. "My mother was told that I was leaving through a proxy," the marshals told them when Neal took back his name and left WITSEC. "And my brother," he couldn't help smiling at this part, "he tracked me down. It took him five years and he actually shot at me."

* * *

_Neal had invited himself to a nice consulate dinner where he had his eye on a Cézanne landscape painting which was hanging in one of the rooms. He had weaved his way through the crowd, chatting with people and creating an illusion that would make them think he was still there even when he had snuck through the back door using the key he lifted as he worked the room._

_Except someone had noticed his disappearance, because they had been watching him and waiting for it._

_When they spotted each other, Neal froze. Bryce pulled out a gun and shot the wall beside his head, keeping him from running or so he explained, before pulling him from the building where he could yell at him without getting caught._

_Neal never did get that painting. But, with Mozzie's help, he at least managed to make up with his brother._

* * *

Sara was smiling with glee as he finished his story, leaving out the parts about the painting.

"He shot at you, huh?" she said, recalling a similar event where she had held a gun at him. "I like him already."

Neal smiled sadly as he thought about Sara meeting Bryce. It would certainly be interesting but, the thought also sent a sad stab to his chest because it would never happen.

Sara, ever observant when it came to him, noticed it.

"Neal?"

"He's dead," he admitted, "he died while I was in prison."

She gave a surprised gasp.

"Sorry, I didn't know." They sat in silence before she asked, "How did he manage to track you down? You don't have to answer."

"Hoping to find your own missing sibling using his method?" Neal questioned. When she nodded, he added, "I wouldn't recommend it. He misappropriated his workplace's resources and, even then, it only work because I had made a name for myself."

"Oh. If she made a name for herself like you have, I would have found her by now," Sara commented in a disheartened tone.

"I don't doubt that," Neal commented. Then, he quipped, "I guess you're also misappropriating workplace resources to locate your lost sibling?"

"Of course," she responded as if it was obvious.

Neal smiled at her and knew that she and Bryce would certainly have gotten along.


	17. HITG - Heard it through the Grapevine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Huntress79 at Fanfiction.net:  
>  _Set post WC Season 5. Bryce learns from a contact in New York about Neal's Kidnapping and sets on a solo mission to find his twin. In the same time, Peter and team are looking for Neal as well. What will happen when they meet Bryce? Will he rely on their help or will he continue on alone? And what will happen once they find Neal?_

**Heard it through the Grapevine**

* * *

_'Did you hear that Neal Caffrey was kidnapped?_ ' It had been an offhanded comment from his contact stated as an excuse for why they didn't have any information for him this time. They were busy trying to locate Neal, because they were certain he had been kidnapped.

Which was odd, because Bryce hacked into the FBI and found that the 'official' decision was that he had run. His handler, Peter Burke, had put in a request for him to be released early for exceptional service. The request had been halted and denied because 'Neal ran during his previous commutation hearing'. Right after that had been announced, Peter Burke refused his promotion and went back to working at White Collar in New York.

The White Collar office didn't think he had run. They believed he had been taken.

Bryce applied for leave and set out for New York.

* * *

He kept his cap and sunglasses on as he surveyed the crowd. On the table before him sat a green tea and his laptop with a copy of the previous day's newspaper lying under his teacup and saucer.

It was a signal to his contact or, more accurately, mark. Bryce, alias Brendan Allen, was in the market for a forger. And he wanted the best, which was why he was looking for the guy who forged the Vinland map.

Boots were the first thing he noticed. They clomped across the floor in a quiet manner but they were what he had been told to watch for.

"Have we met?" the man asked. Except for his choice in footwear, he looked normal with his beginning to recede hairline, moustache over his upper lip and business clothes.

"Probably," Bryce responded with a shrug. "But, I've been out of New York for the past few years. Stuck to the west coast instead. Got some sun and sand."

The man mused on this for a moment before sitting down.

"You're not going to take your hat off?"

"I'd rather you not be able to recognise me," Bryce responded, "'plan for the worst' and all."

The man's eyes narrowed suspiciously but he nodded in agreement.

"So, you're looking for a forger?"

"I want the guy who did the Vinland map."

"I don't know who that is."

Bryce sighed and leaned forward.

"I think you do. Now, I want the best and I'm willing to pay."

The man mirrored his action.

"Take my advice, forget about him."

"Give me a reason to."

"He's caught the eye of someone else."

"Who?" Pause. "He's the only guy I know and trust to do this job. It has to be him."

The man scrutinised him for a moment before responding;

"Fine." He scribbled out an address. "You'll find the person interested in him here. A warning, though, he doesn't like people who cheat or cross him."

Bryce blinked as he took in the address. A prison cell?

"Hope that's not a problem?" the man questioned with a twitch of his mouth.

"Not really," Bryce responded as he slopped the address in to his pocket, having memorised it already. "Cops don't know who I am and the G-men can't hold me."

The man smiled in an impressed way as Bryce stood up. He closed the lid of his laptop and picked it up.

"You can keep that," he said, nodding towards the paper.

* * *

Bryce walked out and immediately noticed the white utilities van across the street. He didn't think it was a big deal, after all, they could be watching any number of people inside.

"Brendan Allen?" A dark-skinned, dark-haired woman questioned, steeping out into his path.

"What does the FBI want with me?" he asked coolly, noticing her badge attached to her belt. She had the air of someone who could fight, her stance one that would keep her balanced.

"You were talking to a known suspect, so we have a few questions," she explained, just as cool, "do you mind?"

"Actually," he responded, "I do." He twisted and bolted across the street, having timed his words so that there was no traffic coming when he finished. Across the street, through the crowd, turn the corner and there was a little antique store which he could duck into with an exit round the back if he needed.

That's as far as he got, before running smack-bang into a well-built man, his black jacket almost engulfing him as the man gripped his upper arms.

"Nice try," he said and Bryce immediately went still. He had seen that stern expression in the pictures of Special Agent Peter Burke.

He internally cursed and hoped that the powder he dusted through his hair to make it look peppery grey would hold.

"You get him?" Bespectacled, bald and short; this was Mozzie. He was an information gatherer and intelligence savant who Bryce hadn't been able to get a picture of until he walked into the FBI office in order to get their help searching for a missing woman.

"You can't hold me," Bryce said to them, "I haven't done anything."

"You were talking to our suspect, we want to know why," Peter said, his voice deep and gravelly.

"I'm trying to find someone and he thought he could help," Bryce responded haughtily; it was the truth and he didn't appreciate them questioning him and wasting his time.

"See, that might be truth," Peter said, "but that's not everything." He turned to Mozzie, silently communicating with the little conman.

"Who are you looking for?" Mozzie demanded to know.

"Just a friend," Bryce responded.

"I want a name!" He had a feeling that would be the next thing he asked for. Mozzie was good at asking the right questions.

"Danny Brooks." The flash of surprise on Mozzie's face and the way Peter gripped him tighter told him that this was not the response that they expected and, this part surprised him, they recognised the name.

"Neal?" Peter questioned, physically twisting Bryce so that he was looking at him. The panic and hope in the man's eyes was evidence and Bryce found his heart clenching in sympathy. "You're looking for Neal?"

"No. I said Danny Brooks."

"And that was Neal's name."

"He told you that?" Bryce gasped in surprise, the words leaving his mouth before he could stop them.

* * *

Peter and Mozzie had strong-armed him into accompanying them back to the FBI, White Collar offices. Bryce sat there, cap still on his head and hair peppered with grey. He had taken the sunglasses off and placed them on the brim of his cap as he looked over the people gathered.

Jones; the dark-skinned agent on his laptop, going through all the surveillance from Bryce's meeting.

Diana; the female agent who had stopped him in the street and was giving him steely glares.

Mozzie; what was he doing in an FBI office? All of Bryce's research said that Mozzie avoided feds and federal buildings like the plague. The only pictures he had of him showed him almost having a panic attack just being in the building.

And Peter Burke; he had his arms crossed and wasn't going to let anything stop him from getting what he wanted out of Bryce. Not even the restricted file that Diana had managed to pull from his fingerprints.

"So, Bryce Larkin," he said in a coolly conversational tone, "what does the CIA want with Neal?"

"I'm not looking because of the CIA," Bryce responded with a glare, "I'm looking because Neal's an old friend. What do you want with him?"

"To find him," Peter responded, "and keep him safe." Bryce was... sort of impressed with that response.

* * *

He wasn't impressed. Here he was, having spent hours with the FBI agents Neal had been hanging out with, and they hadn't seemed to register his similar appearance to their missing conman-turned-consultant. He was doing his best to hide it and he hadn't smiled at them once but, surely someone should have noticed?

At least they had found out who the address led to, Vincent Adler. Apparently, Neal and Peter had arrested him a few years ago when Peter put a bullet hole through the man. This meant that he knew everyone who worked with Neal and none of them could go in his place.

"I don't trust you," Mozzie said outright, the only person bold enough to say it to his face. Bryce had noticed the sideways glances the rest of the team had given him.

Peter was the only one who treated him like a team member, wanting the best chance to rescue Neal. He seemed to realise that, in order to rescue Neal, they needed Bryce's help.

Not that it mattered as, with or without them, he was going to meet with Adler.

Admittedly, Peter had managed to get him a meeting with the man quickly and he was stalking down the halls of the prison that afternoon.

Bryce didn't like Adler; he knew this before he saw the man. He had furnished his cell, which was larger than the norm, with fine and expensive whares. Bryce almost expected to run into an assistant or something, who would probably have their own room with their own desk.

"Well, this is nice," he drawled.

"I'm glad you think so," Alder said. He was sitting at a desk in the back corner where he was looking over a pile of papers. "One should always have the finer things in life, no exceptions."

"Except it makes you look like you're in here for the long haul," Bryce commented. Before Alder could respond, he got down to business. "I heard through a  _mutual friend_  that you can put me in contact with a  _certain someone_."

"And who might you be looking for?" Adler asked, his smile reminding Bryce of a shark.

"Well, no names is my policy," he responded, "but, I think you might know who I mean." He pulled out a small origami carnation and placed it on the table. "I believe he worked for you once before?"

Adler picked up the carnation and examined it, twisting it between his fingers.

"Ah, Nick," he said in a fond manner, "a good worker but a bit of a trouble maker." He smiled business-like at Bryce as he placed the carnation on the desk. "The FBI holds his leash now, not me."

"Oh, I doubt that.  _Nick_ owes me a favour and I need a job done." He glanced around. "Would a donation help any? It must take a bit of cash to keep this place looking as it does."

"I must say, a donation would be acceptable," Adler said, leaning back on his chair. "What do you need?"

"A piece. Currently on display at the Smithsonian." He described the piece. "I need a perfect copy, something that won't be discovered except through extensive testing." Technically, he didn't need the piece but another agent within the CIA did. If he managed to get it, then they would owe him a favour. Two birds, one stone.

"I think that can be arranged," Adler said. Bryce nodded and stood up.

"Give  _Nick_ that carnation," he said, "he knows what it means. Don't let him weasel any payment out of you for it."

Adler's returning smile haunted him as he left and gave him Goosebumps.

* * *

The carnation had a tracker folded inside it, which looked a lot like tiny piece of confetti that was smaller than a pinhead. There were other, similar confetti pieces thrown in, just to throw Adler off if he discovered it.

Bryce had expected Adler to find it. To his surprise, he didn't.

"You did what?" Jones questioned when he admitted it to the agents and told them of Neal's possible location. "Is that even legal?"

"Grey area," Peter said, "and we had nothing to do with it. We were only monitoring the meet between Bryce and Adler."

"Smart," Mozzie praised, even though he didn't look happy about it. He was worried about what Adler would do if he found the tracker. This was the man who had seen through Neal's con.

"Right, we'll get a team together-" Peter was in FBI business mode.

"No," Bryce interrupted flatly, "I'm going in and you all can wait outside."

It took a moment to sink in but, when it did, the room erupted in noise. Diana cried out a, 'what?' before backing off and letting Peter yell at him. Jones started reciting 'Warrant Law' at him with Peter translating it to layman terms and providing loud, scathing commentary.

Bryce didn't think stating that he worked on a different set of rules than that did would help.

"Look!" he said loudly, raising his voice over theirs, "this could be a trap and Adler might not have taken the origami flower to Neal! I'm going to sneak in and scope everything out. And, let me make myself very clear; I. Do not. Need your help!"

And he stormed out.

* * *

He might have been a little angry. They were all busy trying to cover their hides that they didn't come off as serious about helping Neal. They were a hindrance; keeping him from going off on his own and tracking Neal down. He was the one who tracked down the person who kidnapped Neal and, unlike the FBI, he hadn't needed someone like Mozzie to ID the guy. He was the one who met with Adler and sent Neal a message. He was doing all the work and they were interrogating him and criticising him.

The tracker led him to middle-upper class apartment building and the signal was coming from the top floor. It appeared to be the kind of place which Neal could break out of in minutes. He climbed up the roof and found his way through the vents.

The vents were blocked, right before the room where the tracker was. Bryce fiddled with the grate mesh but it didn't budge. He examined the edges and found that it had been welded to the sides of the vent.

Someone had gone to a lot of trouble. It was almost like they expected someone to be crawling through the vents.

Bryce slid back to the nearest grate leading to the hall outside the room and surveyed the area below.

One of the doors was metal and was held shut by a deadbolt as there was no doorknob. There was also a bit at the bottom where food could be slid through but was otherwise closed and locked, he could just make out a keyhole in the centre like a mailbox or lockbox.

There were no signs of guards but, that didn't mean a thing. He realised he should have gotten the specs of this place instead of just jumping in but, he hadn't been thinking properly.

He had only been thinking about getting Neal back as soon as possible. Preferably before the FBI and Mozzie messed up.

He could watch, wait and see, or he could take his chances. He was weighing his options when a fairly red-faced and frustrated hench-goon stumbled down the hall to the door.

"Damn FBI," he grumbled aloud to himself, "who do they think they're fooling, 'we had reports of a shady person breaking in from the roof'? Bull! I don't know how, but they found 'im and now Adler's going to have my hide-"

"Adler's the least of your problems," Bryce growled, kicking the grate out and dropping to the floor. Before the hench-goon could react, he rammed their head against the door to knock them out. Then, he opened the door.

Neal was sitting cross-legged on the only piece of furniture in the room, a bed. To the side, there was a bathroom with no door or privacy so Bryce could see right inside.

"Bryce?" Neal questioned and his voice sounded off. Bryce wondered when he had last spoken to someone. His heart clenched in sympathy as he knew how much Neal loved interacting with others.

"Hey," he responded, "how have you been?" The words slipped easily from his mouth, they way they had usually greeted each other.

Neal paused for a moment before responding, his eyes drifting to the floor.

"Not good," he responded and Bryce physically flinched at the admission. Neal had never admitted to being less than fine before, unless his response was 'sick'.

"FBI's on the way," he said, watching his brother for his reaction.

A flash of hope, a twitch of despair and then panic.

"They-they don't think I ran, do they?" he asked, "because I didn't! But it was timed so well; Peter was leaving, the FBI had turned down my request to be free and I had just asked Mozzie to help me to run..."

Okay, Bryce had no idea what to do. Neal was a babbling mess, even though he didn't appear to be hurt or injured in any way. But, before he could respond, the door was thrown open as Agent Burke came storming through.

"Neal," he said, his voice filled with relief. Peter only gave Bryce a glance before closing the distance between the door and the bed to give Neal a huge hug.

Diana came through moments later, breathing a sigh of relief at the scene.

"Peter?" Neal sounded confused, "why aren't you in DC?"

"I turned down the job," Peter responded as they broke off their hug. "I couldn't stand sitting at a desk all day."

Neal looked past Peter and smiled at Diana.

"Hi, Diana. How's Theo?" he asked pleasantly.

"He's good," she said, relief making her voice sound breathy.

"Alright," Peter said, "let's get you out of here."

"Thank you," Neal responded in an exhale. He looked like there was nothing more he wanted than out.

* * *

Bryce had to admit, the FBI had their uses; in less than two hours, Neal was back in the anklet and his fugitive status was corrected.

Diana explained to Bryce that they had Mozzie tail him and then came in when he broke in, under the guise of 'investigating a possible disturbance'. Peter managed to get Neal checked out by EMTs and then back to the FBI to give his statement.

Bryce let himself get lost in the crowd as he followed. Neal talked, smiled and reassured everyone that he was fine but, every now and again, he would glance around for Bryce.

"Here," Jones said, cornering him as Peter walked Neal up to the conference room.

"What are these for?" Bryce questioned. Jones had handed him folded clothes. He couldn't tell but it looked like a pair of jeans and a grey shirt.

"If you haven't noticed, you're covered in dirt." He hadn't but, now that it was pointed out to him, he noticed that he was covered in dust from the vents and sticky sweat. He crinkled his nose as he felt a pang. He wanted to feel clean so, he got the location of the showers from Jones and went to have one.

The hot water felt good as it washed away days of worry and that day's grime. He lost track of how much time he spent in there. It shouldn't have been long enough to worry anyone.

Even so, as he walked out, Mozzie was there. The man had been grumbling about Neal sending him after 'the other kind of Fed' and letting him roam 'the suit sanctuary' but he cut off the moment he saw Bryce.

"Ah-" Bryce was about to say something when the man screamed. A short, high pitched screech before he bolted from the room.

"IT'S HAPPENING!" he bellowed, loud enough for Bryce to hear him as he ran away. "I KNEW IT!"

"What?" Bryce questioned into the empty air. He wondered if he had some kind of allergic reaction to something in the vents. But, no. He checked himself in the mirror and he looked normal. His hair was dark and dripping from the shower but that shouldn't have scared Neal's informant, right?

He sighed and decided to find out. He found Diana and Jones at their desks, filling out paperwork on the events of that afternoon.

"Have you seen Mozzie?" he asked. Diana glanced up right away, her jaw dropping.

"Little guy ran right up to Peter," Jones responded in an amused tone.

"Thanks," Bryce responded in a curious tone as he walked up towards the conference room. Jones had also frozen when he glanced up.

Strange.

"Do you see that?" Diana whispered across the bullpen to Jones.

"Do you see that?" Jones countered, "was that the CIA agent?"

"I think so, those are the clothes you gave him, right?"

"Yeah."

They dropped what they were doing and he heard them follow him up. Bryce knocked on the door once before letting himself in. Mozzie was hiding behind Peter, using the agent as some kind of human shield, as he pointed at Bryce.

"See! See! I told you!" he cried, "they are among us! Taking our faces, our names!"

Bryce tilted his head in confusion. What was he talking about?

Peter looked him up and down, searching for something so Bryce turned to Neal for answers.

"He thinks you've stolen my appearance," Neal said with an amused smile, "like some kind of alien."

"Or  _government agent_!" Mozzie said, "they don't want us to know! He's looking to off you, Neal!"

"I have to admit, I'm a little curious," Peter said, placing a reassuring hand on Mozzie's arm. Or trying to push him away but, Bryce figured that he was more than strong enough to achieve that if he wanted to. "Your hair was not that dark."

"I greyed my hair," Bryce informed him, "I couldn't be recognised as having a similar appearance to Neal."

Jones cleared his throat before asking, "why?"

"Do you think Adler would have talked to me if I looked like I do now?" Bryce asked, motioning to his appearance.

"Oh, I got your message by the way," Neal said, pulling his origami carnation out of his pocket and placing it on the table. "I'm guess this is how you found me?"

Bryce nodded and gave Mozzie a disgruntled glare. He was making far too big a deal about this.

"He knows I know!" Mozzie said to Peter, imploring him to understand, "I'm a dead man!"

"Relax, Moz," Neal said, "Bryce won't hurt you."

"You don't know that!" Mozzie turned to Peter again. "He can't know that!"

"Alright," Peter said, motioning for everyone to calm down. "Jones, Diana, sit down instead of hovering by the door. Mozzie, you can sit, stand, whatever, as long as you're quiet."

"I can keep him quiet," Diana offered in a vaguely threatening way. Mozzie gave her a petulant stare and then moved to stand with his back towards the wall.

"Thank you," Peter sighed. Then his gaze flicked between Neal and Bryce. "Neal, explain."

"In that case, you don't need me here," Bryce said, the prospect of leaving and maybe finding somewhere to relax for a few hours brightening his mood.

"Bryce," Neal stated, the movement of his arm telling Bryce that Neal was patting the seat next to him.

"Really?" Bryce questioned; it was not a whine.

Neal frowned and patted the seat again. Bryce could see his relaxing evening go up in a puff of smoke.

"Please?"

"Fine."

He sat there, with Neal's hand wrapped around his under the table, as Neal explained their childhood to the FBI agents who he worked with and Mozzie.


	18. DWH - Don't Want to Hear it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Saj_te_Gyuhyall:  
>  _"I wonder, all the stories you've done so far have everyone being fairly nonplussed by the revelation of Neal/Bryce having a twin they didn't know about... How about one where at least one person does NOT take the news well... Maybe a screaming fight? I can see Mozzie for instance, reacting really badly to the idea of Neal never telling him that his brother was not only a fed, but CIA, the conspiracy theorists worst enemy. And on Bryces side, I could see Sarah being pissed (Chuck, in my opinion, if he didn't know about 'Danny' would just give Bryce the wounded bambi look Levi is so good at)"_
> 
> Notes: I decided to write separate bad reactions from the main characters and some of the secondary characters of both Chuck and White Collar. These are all separate reactions and 'what ifs'.

**Don't Want to Hear it**

* * *

**Peter**

Peter gave Neal his most disapproving hum and stern glare before storming out of the apartment. Bryce told Neal to leave it and give him time to absorb it so, they didn't end up talking about it until the next day.

June dropped Neal off as Peter didn't arrive.

As soon as Neal walked in, Peter flagged him up. For a moment, he thought that everything was okay but, Peter was obviously still angry.

He didn't speak until Neal sat down.

"Do you know what this means?" he asked and Neal could hear the barely constrained fury. His eyes slid to the exit but he knew that it was already too late to run.

"So, I have a twin you didn't know about, so what?" he responded as normally as he could.

"So what? SO WHAT?" Peter bellowed, his voice rising in anger at Neal's nonchalance about this. "This invalidates almost everything we had on you! Every image, every witness account, even our first meeting! If it weren't for your fingerprints on the bonds, we could be forced to give you your freedom right now!"

"Hold on," Neal responded, hurt by the way Peter was lashing out at him for something that wasn't really his fault. "I wouldn't do that to you, Peter." He preferred to talk his way out of things, not call in Bryce to help make it go away. That was almost like cheating.

Peter's hand hit the desk a little too loudly as he stood up.

"Go home, Neal," he said.

"What?"

"Go home. The rest of the office will be putting in all hours trying to sort this mess out. The only advice I can give you is this: do not talk to a lawyer, don't talk to Mozzie, keep your head down until we fix this. If it goes public in any way, the higher-ups will revoke our deal and you're back in. For however long that'll be," Peter grumbled that last bit under his breath.

"Peter," Neal whined because he had to believe that he hadn't meant to keep this from him and he certainly hadn't meant to cause this much trouble.

"Go home, Neal," Peter repeated with an air of finality. He was hurt that Neal had kept this from him, hurt that he had never noticed and hurt that the only reason he had found out was because Bryce had been injured.

* * *

**Chuck**

Chuck seemed okay with it. He was used to Bryce hiding things and lying to him, or so he said.

But, every time he mixed Neal and Bryce up, a momentary hurt look crossed his face. Bryce called it the 'wounded bambi' look and Neal had to agree. The way he seemed to deflate and the way his face fell was enough to send a spike of pain through their hearts.

Despite his visual abilities, Chuck was unable to differentiate between the two twins. Each time he called Bryce, 'Neal' or Neal, 'Bryce', it felt like something was breaking apart. Bryce and Chuck grew distant and that distance hurt both of them.

It climaxed in a way none of them expected, but all felt coming.

"Bryce, maybe you should leave," Chuck suggested, self-loathing evidence in his voice as he hadn't wanted it to come to this. He and Bryce were sitting in the hidden spy base under the Buy More and Chuck had slipped and called him 'Neal' as they looked over their latest target.

There was little he could say in response to that. Little he should say but, Bryce couldn't help asking why.

"I can't do this, I can't work with you. I keep messing up and I can't stop wondering what else you're hiding from us."

"I'm not hiding anything!" he lied. He thought he was convincing but, Chuck gave him that hurt look again. This time it didn't vanish, it stayed there. Hurt and accusing.

* * *

**Sarah**

Bryce got as far as saying his brother's name before she slapped him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded to know. He stood there in shock, his hand reflexively moving to cover his cheek. "Well?"

"I didn't think it was important," he responded. They were CIA and there was no room for family.

"I told you about my father, about how I grew up!" she reminded him. She had because Bryce asked her where she acquired her skills. And now she realised how he knew those skills weren't taught by the CIA.

She had been too blind, had liked him too much, to notice that he had the similar skills of a conman. The way he talked and the way he made her feel important, they were a conman's trade.

Was she just a mark to him?

"Look, I-"

"DON'T! You withheld important information which could have jeopardised a mission! A conman, Bryce! He would have taken the first chance he got to fleece us!"

"Neal wouldn't-"

"You don't know that!" She stopped, pulled back and took a deep breath. "Look, I've got a mission in Budapest to get ready for, we'll talk about this later."

* * *

**Sara**

"What do you want me to say?" Neal questioned with a shrug, trying to calm Sara down. Bryce had gone to Sterling Bosh to talk to them about handing over something to him.

His resemblance to Neal hadn't gone unnoticed.

"How about you don't lie to me?" she responded angrily, "are you related?"

"Yes," Neal responded, "he's my twin brother." That didn't calm her down at all. Instead, she started pacing the room, frustration ebbing off her.

"I can't believe you never told me this," she grumbled.

"Why would I?" Neal questioned. Bryce rarely came to New York, they only communicated by secure email and it wasn't like he was a criminal. Bryce was also a part of Neal which he didn't like to share because it was a connection to the past which broke his conman facade.

"I told you about my sister," Sara huffed, sounding almost like she regretted that, "I don't tell anyone about my sister. And yet I told you." She laughed a hysterical laugh. "Congratulations, Caffrey! I fell for your con."

"What?" he questioned, his voice softened by the hurt emotions tumbling inside of him. It wasn't a con! "Sara-" Why?

"Forget it," she said, holding up a hand. "It's over Neal, we're just different people. It wasn't going to work out between us anyway."

She stormed out, leaving Neal with no idea how this had happened. He tried to call her, but she didn't answer any of his calls.

* * *

**Casey**

They hadn't thought this would surprise him. To them, being twins was something normal.

It had surprised him. And Casey hated surprises. He also wasn't fond of Larkin clones.

It was only Bryce's quick thinking which saved Neal's life. Bryce had been expecting to get shot but, he hadn't been expecting Casey to shoot Neal. He saw the gun and dived to the side, into Neal.

That was the only reason Neal was still alive. The bullet proof vest was the only reason Bryce was still alive after Casey's second shot hit him in the back.

* * *

**Mozzie**

It wasn't just that there was a Neal Caffrey clone running around out there. Or that said clone was a secret keeper for 'the Man'.

It was that he hadn't known about it. All the years of friendship with Neal, saving each other and pulling off impossible heists, and he hadn't shared this with him at all.

Mozzie knew about Kate, about Ellen, and even knew things that Neal's mother had done when Neal was growing up.

But, nothing about a twin brother. Not even a mention. Not even when Mozzie asked him if there was even a chance that there was someone out there with Neal's face; he was talking about clones but identical twins counted too.

"You lied right to my face!" Mozzie yelled glaring up at Neal as the taller man looked down on him.

"It wasn't a lie-"

"No, it was a con," Mozzie interrupted in a disappointed tone. It seemed that maybe Kate was right about one thing, Neal was a con. He conned everyone and it didn't matter if he liked you or not. It both hurt and pleased him to see Neal physically recoil from his words.

For good measure, Mozzie shot a glare at the 'CIA agent' sitting at the table before storming out. He had to find out how much they knew, how much  _Neal_  had leaked over the years; by accident or not because CIA agents, the secret keepers for 'the Man', were sneaky.

None of Neal's calls made it through to Moz. He posted apologies on every forum he knew Moz frequented, but none of his old friend's coded replies turned up. He called in favours to whomever he could, although any of the underground who worked with Moz had stopped talking to him.

He even asked Peter to help, who could only offer the services of his wife. El tried but said that Mozzie didn't want to see him again.

A day became two days, two days a week, a week a month, a month became two months, and then half a year passed without Neal being able to chat with his old friend.

He hadn't thought Mozzie was capable of this, cutting himself off from Neal and just Neal. For the only sighting Neal had him, was of him making a quick escape out the Burke's back door one evening.


	19. TTPDE - The Twin Program (they claim doesn't exist)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Saj_te_Gyuhyall at AO3:  
>  _"Also, you used the fact that the actor that plays Peter also had a role in Chuck in one of your Neal-is-Bryce fics, so how about you go for one where Peter has a secret CIA twin too? (In an AU where Kieran Ryker WASN'T an evil creep that Sarah eventually killed, obviously! lol) Imagine the FACES! Any scenario really!"_

**The Twin Program (they claim doesn't exist)**

* * *

Kieran Ryker groaned as the bright lights burned into his eyes. Last thing he remembered was one of Shaw's men shooting him over the whole baby incident over five years ago. He and Agent Walker had rescued an innocent baby from being raised by criminals and having her family's wealth stolen from her and Shaw wanted to know where the child was.

And he had given the baby to Agent Walker in order to ensure that nothing like this would happen to him!

"You awake?" a voice questioned, clicking their fingers in his face a few times. He reached out and grabbed them. "Ow!"

Ryker blinked and focused on the face hovering beside him. He had seen this guy somewhere before with his dark wavy hair and ice blue eyes.

"Bryce Larkin," he realised; the agent who got romantically involved with Agent Walker. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?" The other agent's mouth twitched into a flash of a smile. "What?"

He sat up, ignoring the spike of pain in his chest, as Bryce handed him a couple of files. The first thing he saw was an obituary... for himself.

"Welcome to the Spook Program, partner."

* * *

Ryker scowled as the woman behind the counter handed him his coffee. She cowed before he was satisfied enough to turn away.

Bryce gave her a smile to make up for it before grabbing his coffee and falling into step beside him.

"You're in a foul mood," he commented as he poured a satchel of sugar into his coffee and stirred it through.

"I don't like this," Ryker grumbled as he took a sip of his coffee. Outside they found themselves surrounded by high reaching buildings and people in suits storming to wherever they needed to be. "Why did they send us for this?"

"Because we have the contacts," Bryce responded, no longer smiling. He only smiled when he needed something and he long figured out that smiling at Ryker didn't achieve anything.

Ryker just watched the other man weave through the crowds as if they weren't there. He and Bryce had been paired for almost a year now and in all that time, there wasn't a single mission which required them to go to New York. In fact, it seemed like Langley was trying to keep them away from the city.

"Hm," he grumbled, deep in his throat. There was something they were missing about this. "Who's your contact?" he asked Bryce.

"Oh no, secret contacts remain secret," Bryce recited. Ryker gave him a warning glare. The younger man was both forthcoming and extremely secretive. It was possible to get him talking for hours about things he was passionate about; like computers, Star Trek, alleged mission or other things Ryker didn't care about, but he never really talked about himself.

Bryce was someone who didn't have anything outside of the CIA, just like Ryker. He wondered if that's why they had been paired. It was an odd paring, but it worked. Even though he thought that Bryce was too showy and high-tech for a spy and Bryce thought he was too much like a burglar and out-of-date to keep up, they still respected each other.

They walked into the FBI building and into the elevator without any problems.

"Floor twenty-one," Bryce mused as he scanned the buttons for a moment before hitting the right one.

"Hurry up," Ryker ordered. So far, they were the only ones going up and he wanted to keep it that way.

Bryce gave him a sharp glare, one that said he knew what he was doing, as the elevator doors closed.

"See? No problems," he commented.

"I can't believe breaking into the FBI is as easy as just walking in," Ryker scoffed. Even though they had permission to be there, no one had checked their credentials at all or even asked their names.

Bryce laughed in response.

* * *

Neal spun his folded crane in his figures, checking it for faults.

"Really, Neal?" Peter questioned as he dropped a file onto Neal's desk. "You have work."

Neal motioned to the pile of files on his desk, all of which he had gone through and highlighted things which the original investigators might have missed. There was enough there that a few cases, at least, could be reopened.

He didn't need to tell Peter all that though, the older man knew full well what that motion meant. The first few times Neal had pulled this stunt, he had insisted on checking everything himself. It led to almost a week of late nights and almost half a dozen cases on their way to being closed before the combined efforts of El and Neal got him to hand off some of the cases and admit that Neal had done his work properly. After that, there were no more late nights spent reopening cold cases at the office.

Neal was still waiting for Peter to admit that he had done his work properly.

After almost three years of working together, Peter knew that Neal could do the work. He complained a lot but, he still got the work done in the same amount of time as the average agent. Peter knew he could be faster, if he just stopped complaining and got on with it. But, he had stopped fighting Neal on that front and instead put his time into trying to find more interesting cases for the younger man.

"Lunch?" Neal questioned, looking around at the almost-abandoned office. Most agents tended to vanish during the lunch break and the floor always seemed a little empty around that time.

"Yes," Peter responded, seeing the way Neal's eyes lit up. "For me," he added and the light turned into a frown. "I'm meeting El nearby."

"That's mean, Peter," Neal pouted, "what am I supposed to do?"

"Starve?" Peter joked. Neal was not amused. "Diana's in the coffee shop across the street. I'm dropping you off with her. Lunch is on her today."

"Awesome," Neal commented, getting up and grabbing his hat; today it was the grey trilby. He placed it on his head and tilted it a little to one side.

Peter shook his head in a fond way and started walking towards the elevators.

He didn't get that far.

* * *

"What the?" Bryce questioned loudly.

Neal startled and his hat fell of his head as his hand ran through his hair in confusion. His blue eyes grew wide and light as Bryce's grew narrow and dark.

Ryker stepped back and pulled out his gun, waving it around a little before settling on pointing it at Neal.

"Uhh..." Peter's mouth dropped opened and he pointed a finger between Kieran Ryker and Bryce Larkin and wondered what was going on. "Kieran?" he finally squeezed out.

"Peter."

"Wait? You know each other?" Bryce and Neal questioned at the same time, turning to their partners.

"Bryce, gun," Neal felt it prudent to remind them a moment later.

Bryce shook his head at Ryker and pushed the gun down.

"Don't shoot him," he ordered in a low voice.

"Someone explain!" Peter demanded. He glared at Neal, expecting him to be able to explain.

Neal just shrugged and gave him a 'I'm just as confused as you' look.

"Bryce. Explain," Ryker ordered, dropping his gun to his side.

"Me?" Bryce questioned, motioning towards Peter. "I don't know how to explain your 'ganger!"

"Twin," Peter and Ryker corrected at the same time.

"Explain yours then," Ryker added.

"Also a twin," Neal said, waving a little to get attention as the three agents seemed to be ignoring him now that he didn't have a gun in his face. "Neal Caffrey."

"The international art thief and conman?" Ryker questioned with a glance at Peter.

"Allegedly I'm a lot of things," Neal responded, "but, Peter got me on bond forgery. And you are?"

"Kieran Ryker," Ryker responded, stuffing his gun into his back waistband.

"So, you're the Peter Burke who was chasing Neal," Bryce deduced, "I should thank you."

Peter raised an eyebrow.

"And why would you do that, 'Bryce'...?" he questioned, letting the other agent know he had picked up on his name and questioning for a last name.

"Larkin," Bryce supplied, "and because my brother is an insufferable idiot and it was good for someone to take him down a few pegs."

"Hey!" Neal said, offended.

"At least he didn't get shot while stealing from the US government," Ryker commented with a ghost of a smirk.

"What?" Neal questioned, going pale.

"Ryker!" Bryce exclaimed. He turned to Neal. "I assure you, it's not as bad as he makes it sound."

"It's worse," Ryker pointed out.

"You got shot too!" Bryce spat back.

"Uh, what?" Peter questioned with a frown.

"Okay, fine!" Ryker said, "I got shot as well! That's why they partnered me with you! Because we're supposed to be dead!"

There was a pause for a few moments as his words were absorbed.

"I didn't hear about that," Peter commented slowly, "no one told me you were supposed to be dead." Peter glanced at Neal, who shrugged.

"I knew that Bryce faked his death. Twice," he shot his brother a glare. "Although, I didn't know he was actually injured. I knew he was still alive though."

"How?" Ryker asked curiously.

"Don't answer that," Bryce warned.

"I wasn't going to," Neal responded, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Alright, upstairs," Peter said, motioning towards his office. "I'm going to call El and Diana and say we can't make it."

Neal cursed. He hated working through lunch.


	20. ASK - Ask Me No Questions and I Will Tell You No Lies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From KeJae:  
>  _"I love it :D Double the twins and double the trouble ;) It would be great if Neal was actually an undercover agent and the other three didn't know about it (especially if he was FBI so you'd have the FBI twins versus the CIA twins :)"_
> 
> I really liked this idea and wanted to write it. :) It's sort of an AU to the previous story.

**Ask Me No Questions and I Will Tell You No Lies**

* * *

"I'll leave you agents with this," Neal said, standing up. Across from him sat a surprised Bryce and confused Kieran while next to him, Peter frowned.

"Really, Neal? We might need your help."

"Not with this," Neal scoffed, waving his hands at the inter-agency paperwork which they were filling out. It was standard procedure when any of the agencies were knowingly working together. Emphasis on 'knowingly'.

"If he's not an agent, then we don't really need him," Kieran pointed out. He was surprised to hear that Neal wasn't an agent and it was one of the reasons he was okay with the man leaving.

"Well, good luck then," Neal said, not even missing a beat as he ducked out of the conference room.

Bryce, however, frowned at Kieran. Peter called for Neal but the other man just waved and continued his way to the elevator.

"What?" Kieran questioned.

"Seriously?" Bryce responded.

"Neal's not an agent," Peter explained, "but he's a valued member of my team and picks things up quickly. He would have these forms filled out just as quickly as any of us." He flicked through the pile of papers Neal had been looking at as he spoke.

He made a curious face as he noticed a box filled out on the final page. He turned his head as he flicked slowly through the pages.

Each page had been filled out in neat handwriting, which looked suspiciously like his. There were even a few pages of Kieran's and Bryce's handwriting.

Bryce, who noticed as well, stood up and leant over the table for a better look.

"When did he do this?" he questioned. It was enough for the two teams to work together for a take-down.

"Probably while you were explaining why you are here," Peter grumbled, "I thought he was just doodling on a spare page, like he usually does."

"So, if he was done, why leave?" Kieran questioned.

They all shared looks. Two suspicious spies and an FBI agent who was suspicious of anything that Neal did made a deadly combination.

"We should follow him," Bryce suggested with a smile. He held up his phone, which he used to hack into the FBI building's security feed. Neal was on the screen, standing in the elevator.

"Sure," Kieran agreed, leaning back in his chair. "Not like there's anything else to do. Since pretty-boy did it all."

"Please don't refer to my brother like that," Bryce said in a disgusted tone.

They both stared at Peter, who sighed. He caved to peer pressure.

"You know he wears a tracking anklet? We don't need to follow him."

The spies just smiled in a 'that's so innocent' kind of way.

* * *

Kieran gave a low whistle as Neal jumped out of the taxi and walked inside the shooting range.

"So, what does your fancy tracking anklet say?" he asked Peter. The distasteful and angry expression on his twin's face said it all. Wherever Neal's tracker was saying he was, it wasn't here.

"This doesn't make sense, Neal doesn't like guns," Peter said.

"Yeah, but he knows how to shoot them," Bryce pointed out, "he taught me a few tips and tricks when we were learning."

"I have to say, I'm now very interested in this guy," Kieran commented, climbing out of Peter's car. Bryce followed him out.

"Park the car," he told Peter, "we'll continue following Neal."

"You should have let me drive," Kieran commented with a smirk, seeing the glare Peter sent at them at having to find a park.

"Stop antagonising him," Bryce sighed. For some reason Kieran liked to push Peter's buttons.

* * *

Neal felt jumpy. Like he was going to get caught. He normally felt this way but, for some reason, this time the feeling was strong.

He spotted Ruiz and tried to push the feeling from his mind.

"Evening, sir," he greeted.

"Oh, don't bother," Ruiz responded, "we both know you don't see me as your boss anymore."

"Someone's grumpy," Neal commented, shoving his hands into his pockets. He understood though. He would probably be upset if Blake went to work for Ruiz without warning.

"Let's get this over with," Ruiz said, moving to a spot and pulling on a pair of ear-covers. Neal followed him and did the same.

Ruiz checked the gun, loaded it and fired. It was a quick succession of shots, with a slightly longer pause between shots two and three.

"Nice," Neal commented as they brought the target in. There were a few outlying shots but most seemed to be clustered around the centre circle.

"Don't humour me, Larkin," Ruiz responded, handing him the gun. "We both know that you're better. It's why I went to all the trouble of putting you on the fast-track into the FBI."

 _"_ _He called him 'Larkin',"_  Kieran questioned in soft whisper.

" _Fast-track into the FBI_?" Peter hissed.

 _"_ _Shush!"_ Bryce said.

Neal snorted.

"Yeah, 'fast-track'," he commented, with slight distaste. "I did Quantico while undercover and spent four years working from a prison cell. And now that I'm actively working for the FBI, everyone thinks I'm just a consultant."

"Hey, I didn't tell you break out after your girlfriend," Ruiz taunted in a joking manner. Neal glared at him. "Too soon?" Neal nodded. Even though it had been over a year, it still stung whenever anyone brought up Kate. "Sorry." Ruiz had respect for the dead. "At least you got the guy."

"Yeah," Neal responded.

"And I heard Bancroft is working to get your record expunged," Ruiz said, trying to change the subject, "at least you'll be able to work as a proper agent when it's all over."

"Hush," Neal said, holding the gun ready. He had finished the check and loading it while Ruiz talked.

He focused and fired. Unlike Ruiz, the pauses between his shots were constant.

"Do you really think they'd accept 'Danny Larkin', FBI agent when they knew him as 'Neal Caffrey', felon and CI?" Neal asked seriously as they brought the target in. Usually, his relationship with Ruiz was full of antagonistic teasing but, he could always count on Ruiz to give him blunt answers to his questions.

Also, Ruiz was only of a very small group of people who actually knew that 'Neal Caffrey' was a cover for 'Danny Larkin', FBI. His scouting of Danny was one of the reasons he was given the promotion to head of Organised Crime. Ruiz could spot talent.

"I think you have the entire White Collar division under your thumb," Ruiz responded, slapping Neal on the back. As predicted, Neal's shots were tighter than Ruiz's. "And if they don't want you, I'll take you back."

"No way," Neal immediately responded.

* * *

The three other agents listening in were in too much shock to even think of confronting Neal and Ruiz. It wasn't until they left that the thought even occurred to them.

Bryce was the first to speak, spouting a curse into the air which unfroze the other two.

"We can still catch them," Kieran pointed out.

"No," Peter said with a touch of order in his voice, "I know Neal, he'll dodge and deflect. We need proof."

"'Neal' isn't even 'Neal'," Kieran pointed out, "it's 'Larkin' something. Or something 'Larkin'."

"Danny," Bryce pointed out, "it's the name he grew up with. I thought he changed it back to Neal but, it seems I may have been wrong."

"Or he's using both," Kieran commented.

"No," Peter countered, "I would have noticed."

"You didn't notice he was FBI."

"I chased him for three years! I know everything, from what he had for breakfast to his shoe size!"

"Stalker," Kieran poked.

"Stop!" Bryce barked. Seeing them fight surprisingly caused him pain as he thought about his twin and what he had kept from him. "We get evidence."

"You have your recording," Kieran pointed out, motioning towards Bryce's laptop which was showing the room Neal and Ruiz just left.

Bryce had borrowed a camera-fly from the CIA for field testing which they used to spy on Neal; and yes, the CIA built cameras into small robotic flies.

"We need more," Peter said, feeling the urge to dig into Neal's life until he found something. He wondered how he had missed this! There were hundreds of questions he wanted answers to; like, when did Neal go to Quantico? Or how did he work in prison? Why did he go to prison? Why was he working for Peter as a CI, when he was an agent? And Bancroft knew! His boss' boss! Why keep it a secret from him, Neal's handler?

"I guess I could hack the FBI database and see if I can find anything on Danny," Bryce suggested hesitantly. One, because his suggestion was technically illegal and, two, because he felt a little like he was betraying Neal, even though Neal had been keeping secrets from him.

* * *

El barely greeted Peter before Kieran came barging in the door, confusing her.

"El, meet my twin brother, Kieran," Peter said awkwardly. It was probably a little late in the marriage to be introducing them. "Kieran, my wife, El."

El, the wonderful woman that she was, just smiled and greeted Kieran, inviting him into their home.

"Also," Peter motioned to Bryce. "This is his partner, Neal's twin brother, Bryce."

The smile on El's mouth twitched as she examined Bryce.

"Excuse me," she said, dashing up to the bedroom.

"Did I offend her?" Bryce asked blankly.

"Dining room's that way," Peter explained, "go get set up." And he followed his wife.

He heard the sounds of someone hiccupping for air behind the door to the master bedroom. "El?" he questioned, knocking on the door once. There was a high-pitched sound from behind the door that he recognised but, he didn't understand. "El, are you laughing?"

Opening the door, he found a very red-faced El with her hair curtaining her face and a pillow in her lap which she had been using to smother the sounds of her laughter.

"I'm sorry," she said with tears in her eyes and a giggle on her lips. "It's just so ridiculous. You working with Neal and your twin working with Neal's twin." She giggled and pressed the pillow to her face as it grew into a full-blown laughing fit.

"I'm glad someone finds it funny," Peter commented, although he was smiling too. It was a ridiculous situation. "Kieran and Bryce work for the CIA and there's a lot of paperwork involved with just having them in the office."

"Mozzie's going to love this," El said, trying to get a hold of herself. Her face was still red but she didn't look like she was about to explode in another fit of giggles.

Peter didn't even want to think about what Mozzie would think about this. He ran a tired hand over his face.

Neal could take care of Mozzie. The younger man was better with the little man's eccentricities anyway.

"I'm assuming that you didn't bring them here to introduce them to me," El commented with a knowing smile.

"No," Peter responded, "we're checking something." El's expectant look was all he needed to add, "Neal might be FBI."

* * *

Neal groaned at the knock on his door. He had been settling in for an evening alone. He opened the door, expecting Bryce or Peter.

He certainly didn't expect both Bryce and Peter. And Kieran, who took him opening the door as an invitation to push it open and stride in.

"Cappuccino in the clouds, nice," he commented in an impressed tone.

"Please don't encourage him," Peter said.

"It's like hearing Peter talking to himself," Neal pointed out in a confused tone.

Bryce nodded in agreement.

Both Peter and Kieran stared at them in disbelief. Peter was annoyed that Kieran took them off track and that Bryce was okay with it while Kieran was annoyed that Bryce was agreeing that he sounded like Peter.

"That's not why we're here," Peter pointed out, trying to get everyone back to the subject at hand.

"I would very much like to know why you're here," Neal pointed out, looking at each of them in turn.

They turned to look at each other, silently encouraging each other to speak. They hadn't planned what to say or how the bring the topic up and they knew Neal would be mad.

"We know," Peter opened with. Bryce nodding and repeating it after him.

Neal's eyes narrowed.

"Know what?"

"You're part of the F.B.I," Kieran pronounced slowly, "Agent Danny Larkin, currently undercover."

Neal smirked and chucked but noticed how none of them seemed to be sharing the joke.

"You're serious?" he questioned in surprise and disbelief. He shook his head and said to Peter, "wow. Mozzie would love this. Can I tell him?"

"Danny," Bryce said, holding out some papers for him to take. They were images of confidential documents which he had hacked into the FBI database for. They listed one 'Agent Danny Larkin' working under 'Joseph Ruiz' who was currently undercover in a long term assignment.

"This could be anyone," Neal pointed out to Bryce, "just because I used to-"

"Ruiz called you that," Peter blurted out.

"We saw you at the shooting range," Kieran pointed out smugly, "nice shooting."

"Thanks?" Was all Neal could think of in reply. He placed the papers on the desk and ran a hand through his fringe.

"So, you joined the FBI?" Bryce questioned and Neal nodded in reply. They both ignored Peter's sharp intake of breath. "Beats being a thief, I guess."

Neal just shrugged in reply, his gaze turning to Peter to gauge his reaction.

Peter had time to get over this but, he still didn't know what he thought. Neal being an FBI agent; he would be lying if he said he never fantasized about the idea. Bound by the rules of the FBI, Peter thought Neal would either be the best agent ever or a complete train-wreck of a disaster.

It wasn't that different from reality, really. Except Peter wouldn't go down with him.

"Are you trying to get arrested?" he finally asked, "because doing what you do, as an agent, could get you in a lot of trouble."

"Peter, I sat in prison for four years because I messed up," Neal pointed out, relieved that Peter didn't seem to have too big an issue with this. He had been the one whose reaction Neal couldn't predict. "I'm on an anklet because certain people aren't happy that I broke out instead of waiting out my time."

"I get it," Peter said, "you're trouble."

Neal playfully frowned, putting on the hurt act. Unfortunately, none of the other agents fell for it.

Kieran searched the fridge for beer, complained about Neal's high-class beer as 'beer is not supposed to be fancy', and then they talked about the many ways of becoming an agent with Danny Larkin's story first.


	21. SVNG - Saving Bryce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Saj_te_Gyuhyall at AO3:  
>  _"And this is kind of vague, but how about a fic that showcases exactly how BAMF and dangerous Neal can be? Bryce gets all the kickass fight scenes and all that, but Neal can be scary too, he just SEEMS so much softer than Bryce."_
> 
> Neal doesn't get fight scenes but he's more dangerous than Bryce in this one. This was very fun to write.

**SVNG - Saving Bryce**

* * *

You ever heard of the Samuelsons Group? No? They used to be this powerful gang on the streets of Manhattan. You wanted something done, you went to them. You wanted to do something, you checked with them. The people in the area paid their protection money or left, sometimes in bags and sometimes with nothing but the clothes on their backs; it all depended on the mood of the head, one Herb Samuelsons. No one called him that; everyone called him 'Samuelson', 'Sir' or 'Ridge', after the central ridge in his sword which they said was stained with blood.

He's gone now. He made a mistake. Everyone knows what it was, but no one knows how or why it hurt him so.

Herb took a CIA agent hostage.

* * *

_Neal had known that one day, this pager would go off. It wasn't the one he had given to Ellen, but the one Bryce had given him. It meant that the CIA was contacting him about Bryce._

_Thankfully, Bryce was still alive. But, his partner had no idea how to rescue him from the clutches of the Samuelsons Group._

* * *

Things went downhill for Herb after that. His protection money began to dry up. People claimed that his man had already come for it, carrying a copy of his signature as evidence.

* * *

_There were many ways to get a hold of someone's signature. Have them sign for a delivery, find a receipt they signed; like from a dinner at an expensive restaurant, or steal their card._

* * *

And when Herb's men were about to 'teach them a lesson' for not paying protection money, police would always turn up or walk by. Now, Herb had his hands in the police force, but they were either able to account for why they were there or unable to account for the officers who turned up; whoever some of these guys were, they weren't part of their force.

Excuses, excuses. Everywhere Herb turned things were going wrong. Protection money began to wane. Some of his men fell afoul of another powerful gang, almost starting a war. People were beginning to stand up to his gang, now that Herb's lessons weren't being enforced.

* * *

_All it took was one. One person to stand up and tell off the large goons which walked around the neighbourhood. Neal thought it was good that the agent who contacted him, Agent Walker, was perfect for that role. She tied her long blond hair up into a ponytail, put on an old plaid blouse and jeans and stepped right into the men's path._

_She told them to get out of their neighbourhood. She called them 'bullies' and 'Herb Samuelsons playthings'. Neal had told her to use his full name, to get his first name out there and was pleased with the result. People tended to lose fear when they could name something._

_And when the goons were about to 'teach her a lesson', the head of the police force and one of the men Herb paid off appeared. Neal had called up the police force and left enough hints that would suggest that Herb's men, who would be here at this time like always, were going to walk into an FBI sting._

_Too bad the head of the police force forgot to tell the goons why he was making them move on. And by the time Herb was passing the 'real' story around, everyone thought it was an excuse._

* * *

Herb was losing power. Rumours popped up about him growing weak, about him being unable to pay of the people he was paying, about him losing control over his men, about the people standing up to him. People started calling him 'Herb' instead of 'Sir' or 'Samuelsons' or 'Ridge'.

People stopped calling him 'Ridge' when his sword went missing.

* * *

_Neal's a conman and a thief. One sword wasn't hard to acquire._

* * *

The last straw was when the CIA agent he kidnapped escaped. Or at least, that's what the story was. For days, Herb's men were getting glances of him here and there. One of the men even tried to chase him, only for him to vanish around the corner.

Taunting them, taunting Herb.

Herb cracked they say. The agent walked right into his house and he cracked.

* * *

_Neal let himself in. He walked right up to Herb Samuelsons, smiling at the way the other men seemed to give him wide berth. He had worked on a few of them, offering money and stressing that Herb wasn't going to be in control much longer; 'look around, his empire's crumbling', and they agreed to let him have his audience with the boss. The rest of them took their cues from them and didn't move to grab this spook._

_"Afternoon, Herb," Neal said pleasantly, "I'm looking for someone, I believe you know who." And then his expression became less pleasant as he added, "and if you've hurt him, everything I've done to your little gang will be nothing compared to what I'll do to you."_

_Herb led him to where Bryce was being held; his intentions being to kill Bryce in front of Neal. But, the room had been empty._

_They had already known where Bryce was as Herb had checked on him after every spook sighting his men brought to him. All it had taken was tailing him after one of these times to find 'Herb's dungeons', an old warehouse where the doors_

_Neal wasn't the rescue party, he was the distraction. And he made sure Herb would be distracted for years to come._

* * *

"After the CIA agent vanished from Herb's clutches, his entire organisation came crashing to the ground. What exactly happened to him is unknown BUT, There are many theories."

"He was arrested by the FBI," Peter pointed out in a droning voice.

"That's what they want you to think!" Mozzie rebutted, pointing an angry finger at the Suit. He turned to Neal, expecting his friend to back him up.

"It's certainly interesting what happened to him," Neal said, "but the FBI arrested him long before me, Mozzie."

"Even so, Herb managed to capture an agent of the Man and he was methodically destroyed, so well that no one  _really knows who did it or how_!"

"Uh huh." Peter didn't sound convinced, "how is this relevant to the case?" He tapped the file he brought to Neal.

"It's not," Mozzie said as if it was obvious, "but I consider educating you about the conspiracies surrounding your 'Government' to be my good deed of the day."

* * *

_Neal met Bryce back at his safe house, holding a copy of that day's paper. Bryce was still slightly weak from his imprisonment but, strong enough to insist that he was fine._

_"_ _He's gone," Neal announced, handing him the paper. Herb Samuelsons' mug shot was on the front page. "Apparently, a bunch of witnesses came forward and began pointing fingers at his men who then flipped and pointed fingers at him. He's looking a long time behind bars."_

_"_ _You know you didn't have to do this," Bryce said, although a smile twitched across his lips._

_"_ _It got you rescued, didn't it?" Neal responded with a confident smile that hid his fear at how close he came to losing his brother._

_Bryce mirrored the smile and settled in to read the article, which barely touched on the truth behind the events leading up to Herb Samuelsons' arrest._


	22. WNTLK - We Need to Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From keirraizel:  
>  _"It wasn't Bryce who got Chuck expelled, and it wasn't Neal who forged the bonds they convicted him with. It wouldn't matter except Chuck and/or Peter find out."_
> 
> This one was slightly difficult to write and there were a number of places where I got stuck. But, I finished it! :D   
>  Before you enjoy though, a message: I was thinking of taking some of the stories out of 'Spies vs Cons' and 'CIs vs Agents' and putting them into themed collections (a collection for the two sets of twins and a collection for stories with supernatural elements).  
>  I'm interested to know what people think of this idea. Would it make searching the stories easier? Is it just going to make it harder to keep track? I would like opinions.

**WNTLK - We Need to Talk**

* * *

2003 was a mixed up year. And it led to mixed up circumstances, which were supposed to remain classified.

Until now.

* * *

Neal visited Stanford, searching for someone. Bryce went to New York, searching for someone.

It had been an accident on both sides.

Neal found himself hanging out with college students so it easier to pretend to be Bryce.

Bryce found himself hanging out with criminals so it was easier to pretend to be Neal.

Perhaps they pretended too much. Maybe they didn't pretend enough.

* * *

Chuck stared at the dates, as if that alone could change them.

This wasn't possible. It shouldn't be possible.

Vincent Adler had been collared by the FBI and General Beckman wanted Chuck, as the Intersect, to look over all the information the CIA had on Adler and pass anything relevant over to the FBI. He had been doing that when he came across one of Bryce's missions during 2003 to get close to Vincent Adler using an alias. Bryce had managed to do so and collect a lot of information on the man but, the date. The dates of the mission overlapped with the dates when Bryce had gotten Chuck kicked out of Stanford.

"What's not possible?" Sarah asked and Chuck realised he had been muttering 'that's not possible' under his breath.

"For Bryce to be in New York and Stanford at the same time," Chuck responded, showing her the mission file.

Sarah placed her coffee on the table and looked over the file with determined eyes.

"So, Bryce was in New York, looking into Adler?" she questioned, unable to see why this would be worrying Chuck. She tried to understand but couldn't twist her mind around it.

"Bryce was in New York in 2003, including during the dates he got me kicked out of Stanford."

Now it clicked. Sarah took another look.

"That's definitely Bryce in New York," she commented, "only he could have made the drops."

Chuck gave her a glare and she wondered if she had said the wrong thing. While Chuck wasn't as upset with Bryce as he once had been, getting kicked out of Stanford for something he didn't do was a sore spot.

"I'm only stating the truth," she added, hoping he would understand.

Chuck nodded in agreement, although his eyes were shining with hurt. It was then that it clicked in Sarah's head.

"Wait, if Bryce was in New York, how did he get you kicked out of Stanford?" she questioned. It was the right thing to ask, because Chuck got fired up.

"Right," he said, unfolding his laptop. "I think I may have an answer to that." He opened the screen and showed her a picture, a mugshot, with the name 'Neal Caffrey' on it.

There was a small difference in this man's face but, it was still Bryce. The same dark hair and eyes, even if they gave a lighter impression than the spy's.

"I flashed on Bryce's alias for the Adler mission," Chuck said proudly, "his cover was 'Nick Halden'."

"What does that have to do with Neal Caffrey?" Sarah questioned.

"Nick Halden is one of Caffrey's known aliases," Chuck said, "if this guy isn't Bryce, then he might be why Bryce was able to be at Stanford while the CIA thought he was in New York.

"We've got to talk to him."

* * *

Peter didn't like this. With the treasure missing and his gut instinct telling him that Neal had it, it was the worst time for something like this to happen.

"Neal, conference room, now," he ordered in a loud voice, giving Neal the two-finger point.

The conman jumped out of his seat and almost seemed to glide over and up the stairs.

"What do you need me for, partner?" he asked with a bright smile. A conman's smile.

"Inside," he told Neal, opening the door. Neal walked in and he followed him, almost bowling the smaller man over when he froze just inside the entrance.

"Chuck," he whispered, the name slipping past his lips before he could stop it. Peter was curious about what the name meant but, figured it could wait until after this.

"Neal, this is Sarah and Charles Carmichael, they want to speak to you concerning your association with Vincent Adler." Peter wished he could warn Neal about what was in those documents he had signed but, they had included a non-disclosure agreement.

"Am I going to need my lawyer?" Neal questioned, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes.

"No," Sarah said, giving him a business smile in return. She placed a folder on the table, before the chair which they wanted Neal to sit at. "We just want to know where you were on these dates."

Neal sighed and sat down. He wondered what this was all about.

The dates written down in the folder made his heart stop. Chuck couldn't know, could he?

"I was in New York," he responded closing the file and pushing it towards them, making it clear that he wasn't going to answer any more questions.

"What were you doing in New York, Mr. Caffrey?" Sarah asked.

"Do I need a lawyer present?" Neal asked again.

"Just answer the question."

Neal gave Peter a glance, letting enough of his panic show through to make the Agent intervene.

"You have immunity for anything you mention in this room," Peter said, tossing his badge onto the table. Helpful but, not what Neal wanted.

Neal crossed his arms and made his body language scream that he wasn't going to talk. He wanted Peter to chase Chuck and the other agent out or get them to drop whatever they thought they were doing.

"Look, the FBI has information on Caffrey being in New York during those days," Peter finally said, "it's around the time his forged Atlantic Incorporated bonds started appearing."

Neal's relief at Peter standing up for him was cut short when Chuck visibly flinched and his eyelids fluttered as if he was having a seizure.

And then he froze, his face going pale.

"Is he okay?" Peter asked Sarah. She nodded but cast a worried gaze over her partner.

"Chuck?" she questioned.

Chuck seemed to react to her voice, rubbing his hands on his face and through his hair in turmoil.

"You weren't in New York," he said to Neal, sounding completely forlorn. Neal swallowed and shifted nervously as Chuck continued, "you were at Stanford."

"What?" Peter questioned in surprise.

Neal frowned and looked at the ground.

"I won't apologise," he said in a soft tone.

"Apologise?" Chuck squeaked, his voice high. "Forget about me, what about you? You've been convicted of a crime you didn't commit! You let the-"

Neal clapped his hands in front of Chuck to startle him out of his rant. It was too late though, because Peter had heard it.

"'Convicted of a crime you didn't commit'?" he repeated, glaring at Neal suspiciously.

"It's nothing," Neal responded, glaring at Chuck. "You need to calm down."

"'Calm down'?" Chuck squeaked. He paused and took a deep breath in order to at least sound normal. "Neal, you let Bryce-"

"Bryce didn't know," Neal repeated in a soft voice, "not until the evidence turned up during my trial. By then, there was little he could do about it."

"What's going on?" Peter questioned, shooting a look at Sarah. She was the only other one not following the conversation.

"Chuck?" Sarah said, her tone making it clear that she wanted answers.

"Bryce was in New York," Chuck explained, "he investigated Vincent Adler, just like the CIA wanted. To do so, he used Neal's name-"

"Technically, he only gave my name to a few people," Neal pointed out, "and it made it easier for him to blend in." Going around as Stanford student, Bryce Larkin wouldn't have done him any favours.

"And became 'Nick Halden'," Chuck glanced at Neal to see him nod in agreement. "And Neal somehow ended up at Stanford, pretending to be Bryce."

"What?" Peter questioned as most of this went over his head. He had no idea who this 'Bryce' was; was it another of Neal's aliases? Except they talked about him like he was another person.

"Wait, that would mean that Neal was the one who got you kicked out of Stanford," Sarah commented in an understanding voice.

"And Bryce was the one who forged the bonds that got you sentenced to prison," Chuck said to Neal, "am I right?"

Neal looked at each of the three faces; Chuck's worried one, Sarah's interested one and Peter's confused and upset one.

"Bryce Larkin is my twin brother," he explained to Peter, "my younger twin who joined the CIA while I was still committing small-time cons." Then he turned to Chuck and Sarah. "And, yes, I got Chuck kicked out of Stanford. It was unintended but I achieved what I was after."

"What was that?" Sarah asked as Chuck's mouth dropped open. Neal's directness was unnerving after all the misdirection and avoidance tactics and he apparently had no trouble talking about classified secrets.

"Even though you thought I was Bryce, I considered you to be a good friend," Neal said to Chuck, "you were honest, kind and didn't take anything for granted. I learnt that the CIA wanted to recruit you and I was worried that they would break that. So, I continued my pretence of being Bryce to get you out of the CIA's radar."

"I blamed Bryce for that," Chuck mumbled in a guilty manner.

"Well, those weren't my only reasons," Neal continued, "you mentioned your sister and that you and she really only had each other since you were young. Your mother left and your father wasn't really there and he eventually disappeared too. It might not be easy being a spy but, it's certainly not easy being an older sibling to one either. There are too many secrets for you to feel comfortable around each other and she would grow distant to you because of those secrets and because she would be helpless to help you and it would break the last of your family apart."

Everyone was silent. Peter wondered if Neal realised just how much hurt and regret was present in his expression as he said that. His eyes danced with it and the bitter twist of his mouth spoke volumes. Or maybe he wanted them to see it.

"I let the CIA frame me for the bonds because it was something I could do to protect him," Neal continued before any of them could think of what to say, "Adler was still on the run and, as we learnt over the past year, a dangerous man. I did not want him knowing about my brother. Also," he shrugged at Peter, "it's kind of funny that the only thing you could get on me was the thing I was framed for."

Peter's mouth dropped open as Neal smiled and chuckled. This wasn't right!

"Neal!" he said in a horrified voice. Stupid,  _stupid_ , Neal!

"What?" Neal tilted in head in confusion.

"You didn't forge the bonds? What about your signature?"

"I told the CIA about that and had them add it," Neal responded nonchalantly.

"You helped them frame you?" Peter's face was flush with anger. Of all the stupid things Neal had done, this had to take the cake!

"Well, yeah. They were cool about it. Besides, both the CIA and the FBI have me as a suspect in numerous criminal acts. After all, I have done things that the law considers 'illegal'."

"That doesn't mean you go to prison for something you didn't do!" Peter bellowed as guilt and shame flared up in him. "That isn't right! It's not justice!"

Neal blinked. This was not what he imagined Peter getting mad about. And Peter wasn't done yet.

"It's not justice to quietly go to prison for a crime you know you didn't commit! Even if you've committed other crimes-"

"Allegedly," Neal added and Peter shot him a silencing glare.

"It doesn't mean you go to prison for something you didn't do!"

"You're prefer that I was cleared of all charges and let go?" Neal questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes! My job is to make sure there's enough evidence to convict you of the  _crimes that you commit!_  Trust me Neal, you would have slipped up enough for me to get you eventually."

Neal had no idea what to say in response to that. Thankfully, Jones interrupted.

"Whoa, it is true."

* * *

Bryce stepped out from behind the imposing FBI agent and levelled a glare at the people gathered in the room. When his gaze reached Neal, his twin shook his head.

They knew, he realised, silently cursing.

"I told you," Bryce said to Jones, hoping to forestall this conversation long enough that they would forget.

"Told you what?" Peter questioned Jones with a curious tone.

"That he's," Jones jabbed a finger at Bryce, "Neal's twin and not Neal."

"They didn't believe me," Bryce commented with a sly smile and arms crossed over his chest. "I think they thought you were trying some kind of new con on them."

"Yes, I have a twin," Neal confessed to Jones with a shaky smile. "And that would be an old con, not a new one."

Bryce made a small, confused frown. Something had shaken his brother. He glanced at Chuck, wondering if his old friend had lashed out at Neal in a similar manner to the way he had cut himself off from Bryce and anything else from Stanford.

"Well, come in, Bryce," Peter said, dismissing Jones at the same time. "We were just having a talk."

That sounded ominous. Bryce took a few steps in but remained standing. So, it had been Peter who reacted badly.

"I'm going to guess that you're the CIA agent?" Peter questioned in a gruff voice and Bryce wondered if the man ever smiled. His face looked like it perpetually frowned. "So, you would know that justice does not involve sending someone to prison for something they didn't do?"

"Huh?" What was he talking about? Were they going to frame him for something? Worse, did they plan to frame Neal for something?

"We've met before, haven't we?" Peter commented, "outside the bank."

Bryce internally cursed; they did know. He glanced at Neal. Neal glided his eyes away in a manner which told him that he hadn't told, not until they figured it out.

"Yeah, we have," he responded to Peter, "but, even if I confess to the crime I allegedly committed that day, nothing would change. I look like Neal, I can speak like Neal but, it was Neal's fingerprint they found on the bond and Neal's signature hidden in it." He ignored the way Peter's eye twitched as he spoke.

"You know what," Sarah interrupted, standing up and pulling Chuck to his feet. She could see that this was going nowhere fast and, while Peter Burke wasn't a violent man according to his files, his hands had curled into fists. "We'll take Bryce and talk elsewhere."

"What?" Bryce questioned. Although he would like to get out of the scrutinising gaze of the FBI agent, he couldn't leave his brother here alone. He didn't get much say though, as Chuck pushed him out of the room as Sarah passed Peter one of their contact cards.

* * *

"Well, that was a crazy morning," Neal commented with a bright smile.

"Neal." Peter sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Neal didn't see anything wrong with what happened but Peter couldn't help focusing on the injustice of it all. "Go see if Jones has anything for you to do."

For once, Neal didn't argue, didn't make a joke or comment, he just quietly left. Peter spent the rest of the day in his office, brooding on this problem. Neal did try a few times to distract him, even going as far to again point out that he chose this before Peter ordered him to go home.

* * *

Bryce didn't have it any easier than Neal. They were barely in his rental car before Chuck blurted out;

"You let your brother take the fall for something you did?"

Bryce sighed and tapped his hand on the wheel nervously.

"And I took the fall for something he did," he responded. It was something both he and Neal had come to terms with.

"You didn't go to prison."

"No," Bryce said carefully, even though he wanted to scream. Something in his chest was curled tight. "But, I lost my best friend over it." And he didn't want to talk about this. When Neal turned up on his New York doorstep to explain what he had done, Bryce had punched him. He had punched him hard enough to give him a concussion.

They eventually reached an understanding and they didn't need anyone dredging up the past.

"Really, Bryce? You never thought to explain any of this before! Not even when we rescued you from FULCRUM!"

Bryce glared at him.

"Watch the road!" Chuck commented as the lights changed.

"He's right, Bryce," Sarah said, "you never mentioned having a twin brother. And to let him go to prison for something you did-"

"And letting him get me kicked out of Stanford and place the blame on you," Chuck added.

"Do you really think that's okay?" Sarah asked.

"Yes." Bryce's response was flat and strong, silencing anything else they wanted to say about it. And they didn't say anything else. He did notice the doe-eyed looks Chuck would give him every few minutes and he could feel Sarah's spiking glare from the back seat.

* * *

Bryce didn't like to talk about these things and Chuck liked to talk too much. Sarah didn't want to push but, she wanted to know. Eventually, to get them to move on, Casey made them write reports.

Both Neal and Peter wanted to put this behind them but, Peter didn't know how. Thankfully, Peter had Elizabeth to help him through it.


	23. TRIAA - To Create a Tri-Agency Alliance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Guest on fanfiction.net:  
>  _"Okay I've been thinking and what if Neal and Bryce where both spies? And they run into each other and don't know the other is an agent and both think that the other is a murder for no appearate reason? Maybe you can make Neal NSA to confuse it even more?"_

**To Create a Tri-Agency Alliance**

* * *

Neal sat quietly and calmly. The police had nothing on him, or 'George Trent' who his driver's licence identified him as, so he just had to wait until they let him go.

He really didn't expect the officer's next words;

"We have your partner in custody and he's pointing the finger at you."

 _Partner?_ Neal didn't have one.

"I don't have a partner," he said. The officer gave him a calculating look.

"There's no way you can plead ignorance on this one," he explained, "but, I guess it's for the court to decide." And he left.

Neal sighed and jingled the handcuffs that were latched around his wrists. He could easily pick them but, that wouldn't do him any favours. The best he could hope for was waiting for someone from the NSA to come and pick him up.

He bit his lip to keep from crying out in frustration. Neal worked asset protection and this wasn't the first time he had lost an asset but, it never got any easier. He knew that all it took was a moment and his asset could be killed and his mission a failure. It didn't make it any easier.

In one moment, Damian Dalton had been shot. His secrets, the names of people in government contracted companies who were selling their companies' plans to the highest bidder, lost. His widowed without truly knowing why.

He really messed this one up. And now he was stuck waiting on someone else to fix his mess.

"Hurry up," he whined to himself, leaning back on the chair.

"Impatient, aren't we?" Neal perked up at the sound of a new voice but backtracked as he saw who was standing at the door.

"Agent Burke, what a surprise," he commented, shedding his identity of 'George Trent', businessman and philanthropist and donning his identity of 'Neal Caffrey' confidence man and thief.

Peter looked stormy; it was the best word he could think of to describe the other man's expression. Peter pursed his lips as he walked to sit in the chair across from Neal.

"You know, there are people who told me that it was only a matter of time," Peter said.

"Pardon?" Peter's next words chilled him.

"They told me it was only a matter of time before you started leaving dead bodies at your crime scenes."

"H-hold on!" he cried out but then caught himself. He didn't need to explain himself. However, Peter smiled.

"'George Trent', tell me about him."

Neal blinked in surprise. Peter was smiling and leaning back, like this was some kind of friendly chat. The Peter Burke that he knew wouldn't talk to a murderer this kindly. He wondered if the agent was pulling some kind of con. He didn't realise yet that Peter believed he was innocent.

"Well, he was born in 1979 and is the youngest member of the Axelsson Industrial Board. He donates money to Damian Dalton's charities and is an important customer of his company. Hence the invite to tonight's soirée." Peter raised an eyebrow. He was still waiting for something. Neal sighed. "And he didn't kill Damian. Come on, Peter, you know I'm not a murder." He has killed before; in kill or be killed situations. Even so, it's been a few years since the last one.

"I know," Peter responded with such certainty that Neal felt gratitude flower in his chest. He hadn't thought that this FBI agent would believe him, not when the police had already labelled him as 'guilty'. "There's something they're keeping from you."

"What?"

Peter stood up and unlocked the handcuffs from the table.

"Don't pick these," he ordered, locking them around his wrists again before leading him out.

Neal was curious, until he caught a look at who was in the room next to his through the two-way.

"His ID says he's Archie Wortham," Peter explained, watching his reaction carefully.

Neal's head began to swim. He wondered what Bryce was doing here and why he was dressed in that suit. He didn't even like formal wear; it had been a fight to get him to wear something nice to his high school graduation instead of something from the discount racks.

Peter opened the door and walked in, while Neal hung back for a moment to listen.

"Agent Burke. I didn't except to see you again." Bryce's voice was all-business. "You figure out that I'm not your 'Neal Caffrey'?"

"I did," Peter responded and nodded towards Neal. Neal tipped his head for a moment in amusement before walking in; it was almost like they had planned this beforehand, even though they hadn't.

* * *

Neal took some pleasure from the way Bryce's eyes bugged when he looked at him. It helped ease the fluttering in his chest. Bryce knew he hadn't taken the truth about their father well but, Neal knew that Bryce wasn't happy about how he had decided to handle it. The result meant that they hadn't seen each other since the last time they had both visited their mother last Christmas, which had been a quiet affair.

"Neal, meet the other suspect in Damian Dalton's death," Peter said, "the police say that you're partners and worked together but, my gut says you didn't even know he was here."

"No," Neal responded. He hadn't known Bryce was here. He couldn't think of a reason why Bryce would be here, under an alias no less.

"Wait," Bryce said, calculating various scenarios in his head and realising a likely conclusion. "You're Neal Caffrey?"

"Uh," Neal stalled. He had not expected Bryce to figure that out so fast.

"Neal Caffrey is a thief! He's wanted by the FBI, the CIA and various other agencies!"

Neal thought this was only natural as his bosses had contacts in every agency. The only thing that went unforeseen was Agent Burke's ability. According to their contact, the other agent had managed to link him to the bonds and was investigating him for a number of crimes which he had committed in the process of completing missions.

"Did you do it?" Bryce asked.

"What?" Neal questioned.

"Damian Dalton. Did you kill him?" Bryce demanded to know. Neal's jaw dropped and he shook his head. Part in exasperation and part in denial. No one would admit to murder in the middle of a police office with an FBI agent standing next to them.

"Did you?" Neal shot back automatically for no other reason than to make Bryce think about what he said.

However, Bryce's unresponsiveness wasn't encouraging. It made Neal wonder if his question had some validity after all.

And with that realisation, Neal swore.

"Bryce, you didn't?"

"Of course not!" Bryce responded in an offended manner, "I can't believe you'd think that of me!"

"Well, I don't know what you're doing here, do I?" Neal snapped back, slamming his hands on the table. "As far as I know, you're supposed to be working at the bank!"

"And you're supposed to be, oh wait, you don't tell us what you're up to," Bryce taunted in fury.

Neal was about to respond when Peter stepped in front of him. His visual of Bryce was cut off by the agent's broad back.

"How about a cup of coffee or something?" Peter suggested. It was the only think he could think of to calm the brothers down.

"I don't need a cup of terrible coffee, thanks," Bryce said at the same time Neal grumbled;

"If you uncuff me, I'll get us all something from the nearest Starbucks. Better than the terrible stuff you call 'coffee'."

None of the negotiation skills he knew where helping Peter out here. He was drawing a blank.

"Have you even tried it?" he questioned.

"No," they responded together. Neal stepped out from behind Peter to glare at Bryce.

And from the entrance, an officer cleared her throat to get their attention.

"You're free to go," she said to the twins.

"What?" Peter questioned. They should have been able to hold Neal overnight, at least.

"Finally," Neal and Bryce sighed in relief at the same time.

"Why?" Peter asked, placing a hand on Neal's shoulder to keep him from running.

The officer shrugged.

"Above my pay grade," she informed them as she moved forward to unlock Bryce.

With a flick of his wrists, the handcuffs dropped off Neal. He passed them to Peter with a smirk.

It had taken them long enough.

"Neal," Peter said in a warning tone, "you're not going anywhere, except back with me."

"Agent Burke," the officer said, "I've been told to inform you that you cannot arrest either of these men."

"What?" Peter questioned in a horrified voice. He looked and Neal and noticed with interested that the other man wasn't smiling. But, of course he wouldn't. To Neal, this felt like cheating.

"Why not?" Bryce asked, just as interested. A wanted man being let go? That was odd.

"I don't know," the officer said with a hint of annoyance, "like I said, 'above my pay grade'."

"Is there a room where we can talk privately?" Peter asked glancing up at the camera.

Neal gave a slight nod, showing that he was okay with this. Peter was a good agent and he wouldn't hurt someone who he didn't think could defend themselves.

The officer sighed.

"Down the hall, third door on the left," she explained, "there's an empty office you may borrow for a few minutes."

* * *

Bryce tagged along out of curiosity, even though he really should have been heading back to Damian Dalton's house to search for where he hid the information. It wasn't every day that he saw his brother and his spy-sense was telling him that something was going on here. Something he should recognise. He just hadn't figured out what.

"What did you do, Neal?" Peter demanded to know in an angry voice as soon as the office door was closed. The officer had suggested this office because it was empty, possessing only an empty desk and a few filing cabinets.

Neal stood there and crossed his arms.

"What makes you think I did anything, Agent Burke?" he questioned.

"Because, it takes serious clout to get off like this!" Peter said, "what have you done? Tell me, Neal so I can help you!"

Neal and Bryce both blinked in surprise. Bryce ran a hand through his hair as he realised that Peter was honestly offering to help. Neal was the one cutting him off and hiding secrets.

Neal glanced at Bryce and their eyes locked. Neal wasn't even trying to hide the suspicion in them. If it took serious clout to get off like this, what did that say about Bryce? The officer had said, 'you cannot arrest either of these men'. Consciously or not, she had included Bryce in that statement.

"What about you, Bryce?" Neal asked, his voice quiet but the words heavy.

Peter put the pieces together a moment after that comment, giving Bryce a suspicious look.

"What about me?" Bryce questioned, unconsciously mimicking Neal as he crossed his arms over his chest in a defiant manner.

Secrets hang heavy in the air. Yes, both twins were keeping important secrets and neither wanted to be the first to crack. Peter realised this as well.

It was a few moments before Neal spoke again, a smile forming on his face as he did.

"You two up for solving a murder?" he asked, glancing between them.

Peter and Bryce shared a disbelieving look.

"Neal, this isn't-"

"Come on, Peter," Neal urged, "I know this grates at you. There's a murderer running free and we're in a position to catch him." He let Peter think about this as he turned to Bryce. "And you're probably going to try with or without us, right?"

Bryce pursed his lips as he nodded.

"Well, I'm going to try as well. I was standing right there when Damian Dalton was killed and I can't just leave it like this!"

Bryce found himself nodding as Neal said exactly what he was thinking. They both turned to Peter, who gave a long-suffering sigh. There was a chance that he would be allowed to arrest Neal once the real murder was behind bars.

"Fine. Someone has to keep you two in line," he agreed, shaking Neal's hand and calling a truce.


	24. TGO2 – Away in his Bed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Awesome at fanfiction.net:  
>  _"Could you write a part two for this one? Maby from Neal's piont of view. Maby have them check his anklet and it says that he's at the party. Then we have Neal complaining about how he was cuffed to his bed while he was sick?"_
> 
> Notes: So, I bought a new laptop over the past few days. It's been almost half a decade since I've gotten a new laptop (maybe more? I don't keep track). I've been busy setting it up and personalising it the way I want so, if you think I've been slow to update or respond over the past few says or you think it over the next few days then, this is why.
> 
> Also, I keep forgetting to add this but, feel free to write your own responses to the prompts or themes if you're interested. And if anyone wants to write sequels/continuations/prequels, that's okay too. Just contact me so I can read it (and maybe link to the story too?). I'm also willing to help if anyone wants any more information on the stories. Copy-and-pasting is a no-no though.

**TGO2 – Away in his Bed**

* * *

When Neal had woken up that morning, he had felt miserable. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton and his body and eyelids were heavy. But, it was Peter's birthday and he felt he had to be there so he pulled himself up out of the sticky sheets and slowly lumbered around the apartment as he got ready.

He was taking longer than he liked, after lying in bed for longer than he liked, when Bryce burst through the door with a greeting and a smile.

* * *

It had been Bryce's plan, a way for Neal to appear to be at the party even though he was sick. Neal hadn't the energy to argue with it. Much. So, he placed the ear-bud in and bundled up under the covers while Bryce left for the party with Neal's present to Peter.

Neal thought everything was over when Peter figured it out. Curse Bryce and his lack of French skills. But, Peter spoke to him through the ear-bud;

"Alright, Neal," he said, once Bryce explained that Neal could hear them, "I'll let you two keep up this charade. But, what about the anklet?"

"What about it?" Bryce questioned.

"He's probably checked it," Neal sighed through the comm. He snuggled deeper into the sheets as his head began spinning.

"I checked Neal's tracking data and it says he's here," Peter explained.

"Oh yeah," Bryce responded and Neal was certain that he was pulling up his pants leg for Peter to see. "I thought of that."

Neal smiled as he imagined the long-suffering expression on Peter's face.

"You can't just take the anklet off whenever you want to play Neal," Peter explained in a lecturing tone, "Neal's a felon and that anklet is an important tool to keep him from running."

"I thought of that too," Bryce responded, "Neal's not going anywhere."

Even though Peter couldn't hear him, Neal sighed in agreement. Bryce had cuffed his ankle to the bed; going as far as to strip the bed, cuff him to it and then cover him with the sheets so that he would be 'warm and comfortable'. Bryce's words, not Neal's.

Peter dialed Bryce's number; after Bryce explained that he they had also switched phones, to make sure that Neal was still there and that he was okay with being cuffed to the bed.

"I wouldn't say okay," Neal said, his voice nasal to his ears, "I'm sick."

"So, you're fine then?" Peter's voice sounded amused.

"I'm sick," Neal repeated, trying to sound pathetic and not fine.

"Alright. I'll come visit you later. Until then, enjoy the party from a distance."

"I plan too," Neal grumbled like a petulant child.

* * *

Neal wondered if it had been too long since they last switched places. It seemed like everyone suspected, even though they continuously failed to get indisputable evidence. Sara tried, Diana and Jones tried and, according to Bryce, Mozzie was the leader of the group and Elizabeth was giving them ideas.

"I think Jones just checked the anklet," Bryce said over the comm. with a voice full of laughter. "Oh, here he comes!"

"The anklet is working fine, Jones," Peter said, after Jones pointed out his reason for being there and having Bryce show him the anklet. "I checked it myself before the party."

Neal fell asleep sometime after this, content that Bryce could handle it himself. Besides, Peter was there to help him.

He didn't wake up until Bryce poked his cheek, shoving take-away chicken soup in his face before he could retaliate.

"Your cake is in the fridge," Bryce explained as Neal dug into the food, his appetite coming back. "And Peter agreed with my plan to stay here tonight to make sure you don't eat it until you're feeling better." Neal glowered at him as he didn't need a babysitter. Bryce held up his hands. "Nope, can't go. If I go, then Peter will have to come and watch you. You don't have the anklet on, after all."

"I'll take it back then," Neal said, holding out his hand. Bryce shook his head and took a few steps back.

Neal glared at his ankle, hidden under the sheets and restraining him to the bed.

"Sorry, Neal."

"No you're not," Neal grumbled back. He sat back in bed and decided to just let Bryce do whatever he wanted.


	25. SHORT - A Short Tale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Guest:  
>  _":) Thanks really enjoy them and look forward to many more. If wanted here are a couple of ideas, what if June knew Bryce before she met Neal? What if one twin goes to help the other, in secret, twin 'a' gets out but initially nobody realises twin 'b' was involved then after lots of reveals and confusion both are reunited."_
> 
> Notes: In case you missed it; 'Twins vs the Unexplainable' updated last night with it's first original chapter. The first two lines: _'Peter thought it was the most ridiculous story he had ever heard. The idea that Neal was such a great thief that he stole the form of a cat from a witch was obviously fabricated as a way for Neal to brag about his skills.'_

 

  **A Short Tale**

* * *

In New York, there was one place where Bryce could always go and be welcomed.

June Ellington was a hard but kind woman, well versed in the ways of the less-than-legal. She was also his first asset and made him for a spook the moment they met.

He was the first to not get flustered when she saw through his cover; he had just been hired as her butler.

"Spies don't get flustered," he explained.

"Oh dear, they do. Maybe they don't show it as well as other people but they do. A glance at their watch here and a request for some air or for the bathroom there gives away their intentions." She smiled and took a sip of her tea. "A flustered spy contacts home as soon as they get the chance," she explained further, "you, however, continued with your job. Well done."

Bryce couldn't help feeling flattered. He also knew that she was right. The first time his job had been discovered, by his own brother no less, he had looked for an opening to contact his handler to find out what to do.

He wondered what else she was right about.

* * *

June was right when she picked up a down-on-his-luck conman from the local thrift store and knew that he would bring interesting times to her door. It helped that she knew his brother led an exciting life and that she was curious to know what he was like.

She never told Neal this, or about her information feeding to the CIA.

* * *

Both of them were stubborn fools.

"Neal, this is foolishness," she scolded as the conman she thought of as a son pulled on a pair of running shoes. "Running off in the middle of the night will only make people worry."

"Don't worry about me, June," he said as he planted a light kiss on her cheek. "I'll be okay."

"This man is not one to mess with," she pointed out, "whatever you hope to do will put you in danger."

Neal looked away, his gaze sliding to the ground. She thought she heard him say something about someone who needed his help but she wasn't sure.

"Is it Haversham?" she asked, worried about the kind-hearted criminal mastermind. Haversham was a good man and he helped ease her loneliness after Byron's passing.

Neal shook his head and left quickly after that.

* * *

June had feared this. His black hair was damp across his forehead and he was panting with exertion. There was dirt smeared across his body and his blue eyes were blurry and unfocused.

"Oh dear," she said, pulling him inside. She ordered the maid to call for her after-hours doctor. "You were only gone for a few hours," she said, worried about what they did to him in that short amount of time.

"Sorry," he croaked out and his body went slack against hers, almost pulling her to the ground with his weight. June called for help and they took him up to his room. She knew the doctor would want him clean, so he could assess the injuries properly, so she assigned a maid to remove his shirt and wipe him down.

It seemed he had lost his shoes somewhere.

* * *

The doctor came. A sprained wrist, some bandages around bleeding injuries and a concussion were the final tally. He said that it looked like he had incurred most of the injuries while escaping and not from torture like June feared.

She was relieved but she still felt something was wrong.

* * *

She had been expecting Agent Burke sooner.

"Neal's here?" he questioned in a surprised manner.

"Of course. Although it seems he's lost the tracker. I suppose you'll put it back on?" she questioned.

Peter nodded and she followed his storming movements up to Neal's apartment.

"Neal!" Peter growled as soon as he spotted the man sitting at the inside table. "We're going to pass of last night as a malfunction but if you do anything that foolish again-"

"What do you mean?" he questioned, tilting his head in confusion.

"Cutting your tracker last night! I told you we wouldn't go after him and you went and did it anyway! You're lucky you're not dead!"

"Neal went after him?" the man at the table questioned, going pale. And that's when June realised her error.

"You're Bryce!" she said quietly in shock, her hand going to cover her mouth. "Which means that Neal's-" Still out there and without his tracker or any way for them to find him.

Bryce nodded while Peter glanced between them in confusion.

"I'm Bryce Larkin, Neal's twin," Bryce said, introducing himself, "and I assume that you are Agent Burke. Neal talks about you all the time."

Peter flushed a little at the praise, at least, he hoped it was praise. But, it wasn't enough to convince him and before Bryce could make his argument, his phone rang.

"Hello?" Peter could just hear the voice on the other end, muffled by the device so he couldn't understand. "I'm at June's. Yeah, I realise you didn't know I know June. It doesn't matter how! No, she's not reporting your movements to me. Yes, I know you know when I'm lying! Just, get yourself back here, Neal and then we'll talk."

"You didn't tell him Peter was here," June pointed out. Bryce smirked at her, looking exactly like Neal.

"A little surprise for when he gets here," Bryce responded. He could see that Peter wasn't convinced yet, but that would change.


	26. TNNGS2 – Lunch Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From ocgirl on AO3:  
>  _"...particularly enjoyed the TNNGS one, with Bryce and Neal estranged. I hope you'll write more of this :)"_

**TNNGS2 – Lunch Date**

* * *

Neal tugged at his tie and tried to calm his nerves. It was a sunny day outside but he couldn't help feeling like he was walking to his death. He moved through the park to sit at a chess table. He lent back and casually glanced around.

Bryce almost seemed to appear out of nowhere, walking down the path with a stony expression on his face. He sat down across from Neal.

"I don't suppose you brought chess pieces?" he questioned, surveying the board with a frown.

"No. You okay?" Neal questioned as Bryce's hair looked windswept. Bryce yawned tiredly.

"They had me working all night and I had to jump out of a plane in order to get here on time," he explained.

Neal couldn't help the laugh that escaped.

"You couldn't just call and reschedule?" he questioned in amusement.

"I didn't really have time to grab my phone," Bryce lamented, rubbing his forehead.

Neal felt a little sorry for Bryce. At least Peter didn't work him until he dropped. Although, it felt like it sometimes, during long stakeouts and all-nighters.

"So, I guess you decided to stay a field agent?" Neal guessed. When they had met again, Bryce had explained that he had been offered a promotion to a desk job. It meant no more field missions and Bryce had fought with his love of the field and the opportunity he had been offered, something many agents would have loved.

"Actually, I took it," he said, "and then immediately altered the requirements of my position so, instead of staying at my desk all the time, I consult on site. It means a lot of travel and I have to go back to DC every few days but-"

"You still get to stay in the field," Neal finished with an impressed look. Leave it to his brother to solve his problem in an unexpected way. "Good to know that working for the government hasn't dulled your creativity."

Bryce froze and then smirked at him.

"See, I know you think that's a complement but, it's not. Hard to believe you're supposed to be a world-class conman."

Neal gave him an offended look, although he was glad that his brother saw past the conman façade. He didn't really know what to say in response though. He didn't want to play up his criminal past around his brother but, he also didn't want to make it look like he was incompetent and in need of protecting.

There were a few moments of silence.

"So, how's work at the FBI?" Bryce asked. Neal had told him about how he had come to work for the FBI as a consultant and about his time in prison, which Bryce had been able to read up on in back issues of New York newspapers.

"It's fine," Neal responded. Bryce raised an eyebrow and Neal sighed. "Really. The work's great and there might be a paid consulting gig in my future." He frowned and stuck out his ankle. "If I can get this off at least."

"One week to go," Bryce pointed out, "I'd speak but-"

"You don't know me very well," Neal finished with a knowing sigh. He did regret never contacting Bryce after he ran away but, contacting home kind of contradicted the point of running away. "It's okay. There's a number of people speaking on my behalf." And some not. Neal couldn't help wondering what Kramer had up his sleeve. His commutation was a week away and he had the feeling it might not end the way they expected.

Looking for a change of subject, Neal glanced around and spotted a jogger bent over a chair to tie their shoelaces.

"So, how many agents followed you?" he asked, having catalogued the number while he walked here.

"At least three," Bryce responded, "the other six are FBI." And four of those six were Kramer's men, probably looking for something to hold over his head.

"Seven FBI and six CIA," Neal corrected out, "there's a black van and a white van both parked nearby. The white van only has one person in it," he smirked and waved, mouthing 'hi, Peter', in the direction of their monitoring equipment. "And the black van has two, judging by well, Mozzie insisted on using his new infrared camera on it."

"Six CIA?" Bryce questioned in an amused voice.

"Well, I guess Chuck and Sara are in the van but there's another one you didn't tell me about."

"He's NSA," Bryce pointed out. Neal frowned and shook his head.

"The ice-cream vendor? I noticed. But I wasn't talking about him. I meant the other CIA agent you didn't tell me about in your count. Because there's no way you'd expose the exact number of agents watching this meeting."

"I forgot how annoying that trait of yours was," Bryce grumbled because Neal was right, of course. This was the guy who, back in high school, even corrected the teachers when they made mistakes. He had once quoted the school rules at the principal, utilising a loophole to get a friend out of detention.

Neal just smiled pleasantly. Despite the friendly banter, it was still awkward. They didn't really know what to say to each other, so they defaulted back to how they had been before Neal, then Danny, left. It ignored the people they were now and all the events which had happened in-between. It created distance between them.

* * *

Neal walked back into the office after lunch with a lethargic air.

"So, how'd it go?" Peter asked him with a bright smile. Neal resisted the urge to say something uncalled for and just said, 'fine'. Peter raised an eyebrow and made a motion for him to say something more.

Neal didn't bite. There wasn't much else to say. Bryce was fine and the meeting was fine.

Finally, Peter sighed.

"Okay, so getting to know your brother again while various US agents watch over you is not ideal but, that meeting was not 'fine'." It appeared to be the kind of meeting one would have at a ten year reunion, not two twin brothers meeting for lunch.

"It was fine," Neal said through gritted teeth, "and that's all we're going to say about it."

Peter recoiled as if he had been bitten. Neal rarely, if ever, spoke like that and tension was radiating off him in waves.

Bryce sat at the small table in his hotel room with his work splayed out in front of him. Paperwork was good for unwinding, for putting missions behind him and for switching his mindset. He went through the pages of work in a consistent manner and almost missed the knock at his door.

* * *

"Come in," he called, continuing to work as his unoccupied hand reached for the gun taped underneath the table.

John Casey opened the door and stepped in. His shoulders were squared and he stood tall, almost as if he was going to make a report. Except he didn't report to Bryce.

"What's up?" Bryce questioned, placing his work back into its secure briefcase.

Casey paused for a moment before grabbing the spare chair and moving to sit in front of him.

"I don't know the whole story between you and your copy," he began, "but, it's obvious that you two aren't close when you should be."

Bryce wondered when Casey became someone who would talk about things like this.

"Does it matter?" he asked with a frown. Because to him, it didn't.

"Larkin, I gave up family to serve my country and lost time with my daughter. I only found her a while ago and, for a long time, I didn't think I wanted to be in her life." Bryce was surprised that Casey was sharing this with him; he hadn't ever thought about what Casey had given up for the job. "But, in order to save her, I had to reveal myself to her. Things were awkward between us for a long time. There were many times I thought about leaving her and cutting off any relationship we had. But I didn't and eventually, a life without her wasn't an option." Casey examined Bryce and noticed that he didn't really get it. "Don't stop," he said, "keep seeing your brother no matter how hard it gets because, it gets easier and he's your family."

Bryce bit down on his tongue to keep from sighing. He didn't appreciate the advice and he really couldn't imagine being close to Neal than he was now but, this was Casey talking. Casey wouldn't have given him this advice if he didn't believe he needed it.

Casey pulled out a phone and slid it across from him.

"Now, I'm going to watch you call him and set up another meeting whenever it's convenient but at least in the next two weeks."

This time, Bryce did sigh as he dialled Neal's number.


	27. RBD - Ruiz's Bad Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From ocgirl on AO3:  
>  _"I was thinking a little about this series, and (if you still take ideas), I would really like to see a chapter where Neal and Bryce get into a serious fight/argument, and Peter and Chuck (or Sarah) have to try to get them to calm down ?"_
> 
> Despite the title, there's not much Ruiz in this fic.

**Ruiz's Bad Day**

* * *

Neal really didn't think he would ever see his brother again and he didn't know where Bryce was buried.

"Hey, Neal, Agent Ruiz wants to see you," Diana said one morning while Peter was in a meeting.

"Really?" Neal questioned, instantly on guard. Ruiz didn't like working with criminals so Neal wondered why he would want to see him. It was either big or Ruiz was looking to waste both their time. Still, seeing Ruiz would make a nice break from paperwork so, Neal decided to see what he wanted.

Jones asked if he wanted someone to come with him and Neal joked that if he wasn't back in half-an-hour, they should send backup.

He regretted refusing Jones' offer when he reached the offices of Organised Crime. He never felt more exposed than when he walked through those doors and every agent's eyes turned to him. The room was silent as he walked up to the nearest agent and asked him where Ruiz was.

Neal's suspicions grew as the agent guided him to where Ruiz was interviewing a suspect.

"If you came, we were told to bring you straight to him," the agent explained and Neal wondered at the use of the word 'if'. Had Ruiz forgotten that he was leashed to Peter and the FBI? Peter would at least make him come to see what Ruiz wanted, even if he hadn't wanted to.

"Bryce?" Neal questioned, seeing his dead twin sitting across from Ruiz. His first thought was that this was a cruel joke by Ruiz and the FBI but, when Bryce called him 'Danny' he realised there was more to it than that.

* * *

The first thing Peter noticed when he left the meeting was that Neal's desk was empty.

"Where's Neal?" he questioned.

"Ruiz called for him," Jones responded, without even looking up from his computer. "And before you ask, I don't know why."

"When?"

"About... fifteen minutes ago," Jones responded.

Peter frowned as he wondered why Ruiz would call for Neal. Organised Crime didn't have any cases which required someone of Neal's skills and, in addition, they had numerous trained agents they would rather call on.

"I'm going to check on them," Peter said, heading towards the elevator. Something about this set his gut stirring and when it comes to Neal Caffrey, Peter trusted his gut. He stormed out of the elevator, intending to confront Ruiz and find out what his intentions towards Neal but was halted by another person stepping in front of him at the last second.

"Sorry, sorry!" the other person said in a panicked voice. Peter realised in an instant that he wasn't an FBI agent. He wore street clothes and held a nervous air around him. "I'm looking for an Agent Ruiz? Do you know where I can find him?"

"No," Peter responded, "but, follow me and I'll find him for you." He stepped into the office and called out for Ruiz. As he suspected, the other agents weren't surprised to see him.

"Burke!" And there was Ruiz. Peter did a double-take at his appearance. Ruiz actually seemed relieved to see him and his appearance gave him a very stressed look. He was even tugging at his hair as he approached him. "I need you to get in there and control your con!"

"What?"

"Caffrey!" Ruiz clarified, as if it should have been obvious, "I brought him in to help identify my suspect but he blew up at him! Isn't he supposed to be a conman and good at controlling himself?"

"What?" Peter questioned. Neal out of control and blowing up at someone? He figured it was possible but, how bad could it be?

"YOU LYING-" Was that Neal yelling? Peter hadn't heard his voice ever get that loud and angry before. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'D DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS!"

"YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!" Peter skid to a stop when he reached the room. Neal was arguing with...  _himself_? It certainly looked that way.

"I might be a criminal but at least I didn't-!"

"Didn't what? Run away? Because maybe we remember things differently, 'Danny'?"

"At least I didn't fake my death! And they knew where I was!"

"Oh, so I'm the only one who didn't know that my brother became an infamous criminal?"

"Apparently so! But, did you tell them that you were alive? NO!"

"I wasn't allowed to!"

"Ohh, you weren't allowed? By who?" Neal snarled. When he didn't get a response he repeated it, "by who?"

"No! You don't get to scold me! I didn't run away and become a criminal!"

Peter swore as he noticed that Neal's hands were clenched into fists. It looked like was about to throw a punch.

"Neal!" he roared. He wasn't about to let Neal do anything that would put his parole into question. He surged forward and grabbed Neal's wrist and pulled him away. The other man, the one following him, gave him a grateful smile before walking towards the other person.

"Peter, let me go," Neal said as Peter pulled him out of the room.

"Only when I'm convinced that you can look after yourself. What's wrong with you? We don't hit suspects!"

"He deserves it!" Neal responded in a hurt tone. "I thought he was dead, that I would never see him again-"

"So you decided to pick a fight?" Peter questioned, letting his tone tell Neal how stupid he thought that was.

"You don't get it," Neal grumbled as the door opened and the other man walked out.

"Uh, sorry about that," he said, "I'm Chuck. This is Bryce. He's sorry too."

Peter thought that Bryce didn't look particularly sorry. He was shooting glares into Chuck's back the way Neal did when Peter said something he didn't agree with.

Neal had the same expression.

"Well, I'm not sorry," he said, "I can't believe you'd do that to us, Bryce."

"In his defence, he didn't have much choice," Chuck explained, "everyone thought he was as good as dead."

Neal gave Chuck the dirtiest glare he could.

"Somehow, that doesn't make me feel better," he commented.

No one got a chance to respond because Ruiz came storming towards them with orders to get out of his office; apparently someone high up told him to let his suspect go and he was not happy about it.


	28. MAM - Mistaken and Misunderstood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Jessie23 on AO3:  
>  _"If you're taking suggestions still: I'd love to see one where the bad guys kidnap the team thinking that Neal is Bryce. When he denies it they show Peter and the team all sorts of photos/proof of Bryce as a spy. Nobody believes Neal when he claims its his identical twin because that's really far fetched and Peter is really hurt/angry. That is until Bryce rescues them and Neal gets to gloat." ___

**MAM - Mistaken and Misunderstood**

* * *

Neal knew he was in trouble when the doors to the warehouse slammed down around them like they were rats in a trap. It was sophisticated, expensive and more trouble to set up than any forging ring would have bothered to use.

Trapping feds wasn't really on a criminal's to-do list either, it was counter-productive to the 'getting away with it' part of criminal activity.

The large projection onto the far wall was also a waste. But, it was the next few words that chilled Neal's blood with something like fear.

"Hello, Mr. Larkin," the man on a screen greeted, "and to your friends."

"Larkin?" Peter questioned glancing around. Jones and Diana shook their heads as the name meant nothing to them but Neal couldn't do that without lying. Peter's eyes narrowed at him. "Something you'd like to share Neal?"

"No," Neal responded as the man on the screen laughed.

"Didn't you tell your FBI friends about yourself, Bryce? I guess that's to be expected." He wasn't Bryce but when he tried to interrupt, the man kept talking, "That's a CIA agent's job isn't it? Lie, cheat, manipulate?" Neal squeezed his eyes shut and willed the man to shut up. He could feel Peter's angry gaze and the hurt on Diana's face. He didn't know what expression Jones was making but he didn't think it would be good.

"I'm not Bryce!" he said strongly, trying to get the message across.

"Oh, I think you are," the man responded in a self-satisfied tone. Neal realised he was reacting the way the man wanted and immediately shut up. "Nice try though." The man vanished from the screen and a video of Bryce jumping out of an exploding room and then proceeding to beat up the agents that got in his way played. Neal felt queasy as he noticed the amount of blood covering his twin's shirt and plastered across his forehead. Images and more videos plastered the screen, showing off the various feats Bryce had pulled of during his years as an agent.

"Neal," Peter said, his tone one of restrained anger, "explain."

Neal looked at them, imploring them with his eyes to believe him.

"Bryce Larkin is my twin brother," Neal tried to explain, "he's a CIA agent and that's him in those videos."

"That's not possible," Jones pointed out, shaking his head.

"Neal. We checked into your background, leaving no stone unturned," Peter said, "I think we would have found out if you had a twin."

Neal was shaking his head. The CIA was good at protecting their agents and masters at deflection.

"It's not like it's an easy thing to hide," Diana pointed out, "the person in the videos looks exactly like you."

"Two Neal Caffreys?" Jones shuddered, "I think we would notice that." They all stared at him and Neal wondered just what to say. He knew they wanted him to admit to being Bryce but, he wasn't. He couldn't admit to being something he wasn't, not to Peter.

"Well, you didn't," he finally said.

"Neal," Peter sighed in disappointment, "the least you could do is come up with a good lie."

"It's not a lie!" Neal responded, pain stabbing through his heart. He knew he was a conman and that it could be difficult for them to believe him but, couldn't they trust him just a little? Couldn't they trust him over some crazy villain who they know nothing about and locked them in a warehouse?

Peter was hurt as well. He couldn't believe that Neal would keep this from him. They worked together every day and he thought he had the other man's trust. He was an FBI agent and Neal should have known that he wouldn't go blabbing important secrets.

"Well, looks like they don't like you no more, hey, Bryce?" the man gloated and Neal wished he was Bryce so that he could punch the guy; surely Bryce would be able to figure out where the man's video feed was coming from. "Either way, you have about five minutes before the place burns down in a truly fantastic explosion. Enjoy you last moments on this mortal plane."

"You've got be kidding!" Neal complained to the air. He really hoped that Bryce didn't deal with these super-villain knock-offs every mission. This was the most annoying trap he had ever been in.

"Well, you're the spy, can't you get us out of here?" Jones asked him, verbally jabbing him with the word 'spy'.

"I'm not a spy," Neal countered looking around the place. It would take heavy equipment he didn't have on him to get them out. Or outside rescue but, he didn't think the usual FBI backup would get here soon enough.

"See what happens when you lie," Peter said, turning this into a moral lesson. "If we knew about your CIA enemies looking for revenge then I would have taken more precautions when we caught word of this outfit."

Neal turned to glare at him.

"I already explained," he said in a growl, "I'm not Bryce Larkin. Bryce is my brother. This is a case of mistaken identity. I'm an alleged many things but spy is not one of them."

"And I already told you to come up with a better lie or, better yet, don't bother lying to me," Peter countered.

"Guys, as fun as it is when you fight," Diana was being sarcastic, they all hated it when they fought because Peter was grumpy and Neal would be shifty and it made everyone around them miserable, "we need to get out of here."

"Yeah," Jones agreed, "so, any ideas?" At that moment, there was a banging from outside and one of the doors dented and then popped out of its frame and onto the ground in a loud bang and clatter.

"Neal? You okay?" Mozzie called, walking inside. Neal was already heading towards the new exit with the agents behind him.

"Good, okay, thanks, talk more outside," Neal said, pulling Mozzie along as they left.

The left the building and moved until they were a block away.

"Hey, wait up!" Bryce called, coming up behind them. "I go to all the trouble of breaking you out and you can't even spare time to say 'hello'?"

And then the building exploded.

* * *

Bryce looked back in amazement as the building went up in flames.

"Well, that explains the rush," he commented, running a hand through his hair. He turned and noticed the way the other agents were staring at him. "Hi. I'm Bryce. Sorry about getting you guys mixed up in this."

"Where's my apology?" Neal asked him in a good humoured way.

"None for you," Bryce said, "you shouldn't have gone right in without checking it out first."

"Well then, I don't want your apology," Neal said, turning to Peter. "I'll take yours though."

"What?"

"'Come up with a better lie', 'think you'd notice two Neal Caffreys'?"

"That second one was Jones," Peter pointed out and Jones nodded in agreement.

"Although this does explain how you sometimes seemed to be in two places at once," Jones commented, "I thought it was just rumour and misdirection."

"Some of it was," Neal said, "and some of it was Bryce." Bryce waved.

"In return, Neal and Mozzie would owe me information or a favour," Bryce pointed out, "and I didn't do it that often, I'm a busy guy."

"Uncanny," Diana commented, looking between Bryce and Neal. While they were different in little ways, they still looked close to each other. The videos were enough to tell them that as they hadn't been able to tell the difference. Even after meeting Bryce, she still wasn't sure whether it was Bryce or Neal in the videos. Common sense told her it had to be Bryce as Neal wasn't violent but still, they were so alike. It would be easy for Neal to pretend to be non-violent and take the place of his spy twin every now and then.

Peter shifted uncomfortably. He had gotten it wrong and jumped to conclusions regarding Neal again. It was always the same thing; he would doubt what Neal told him and then later realise that Neal was telling him the truth.

"Sorry, Neal," Jones said as he reached his car. "I should have known you weren't a spy."

"Somehow that doesn't feel like an apology," Neal commented.

"Take it," Bryce advised.

"What Jones said," Diana added, "sorry." And then she started to walk back the other way towards her own car. "See you, boss."

Neal turned to Peter, expectant.

"Want to bring Bryce around for dinner?" Peter asked instead of apologising. He figured that the dinner would be apology enough. "I'm sure El would love to meet him."

Neal's response had a few moments pause but he nodded and then sighed when Peter looked away. He should have known better than to expect an apology from the stubborn Agent Burke.

"Come on, Bryce," he said, guiding his twin towards Peter's car. Bryce questioned whether it was okay for Peter to not apologise. Neal nodded. "I'll just get El to force one out of him." He had offered Peter the easy way and now they were going to do things the El way. Because Peter was going to apologise for thinking Neal was Bryce.


	29. FDFOS - Faking a Death, from the other side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Guest:  
>  _You should do one where Bryce thinks Neal is dead like preseries for white collar_
> 
> Notes: This one is a little different, in that the White Collar team have met Bryce while looking for Neal but they don't know that Bryce and Neal are related.

**Faking a Death, from the other side.**

* * *

 

 

Bryce didn't know what to do when he got the news. It came in the form of a death certificate for a 'Newton George', better known as Neal Caffrey, on Peter Burke's desk.

"Agent Larkin, you okay?" Jones questioned when he spotted him looking at it.

"Yeah, fine. What's with this?" Bryce pointed to the offending item. Jones was a friend who he had rescued while running around one terrorist cell based in New York. He knew that Bryce was CIA but, he had passed his appearance to Neal off as a strange coincidence so they didn't know that he was Neal Caffrey's twin brother. Thankfully, they had believed him when he said that he wasn't related to Neal Caffrey; after a fingerprint test and a transcript of his time at Stanford and in the CIA. He had reason to believe that Peter Burke had even contacted the CIA and talked to his superiors about him. Or 'the higher ups' all talked to each other. Either way, the White Collar division didn't bring up his resemblance to Neal again and the FBI had a spy on call.

"Oh, death certificate for one of Neal's aliases," Jones said, "Peter's going to talk to the corner and see if he can ID the body."

'ID the body', Bryce felt sick at the words. He didn't want to think of his brother's body, lying lifelessly on a cold slab and pliant to the wills of the living. He wondered if he would get the chance to say his goodbyes. When Neal left WITSEC, he had been barred contact with the family still in WITSEC. Which meant he wasn't supposed to contact Bryce and Bryce wasn't supposed to contact him. They emailed and talked on the phone however, hadn't met in person in years.

"Seriously Bryce, you might say you're okay but you don't seem to be," Jones said in concern.

"I'm fine," Bryce replied, "we're supposed to be devising a plan."

* * *

Bryce didn't miss when Peter came storming through the office. Bryce had been watching for him. Peter had a smirk on his face and a sparkle in his eyes.

Bryce really hoped that this didn't mean the Agent was happy to see Neal dead. He didn't think he would be able to work with them again if Peter Burke was overjoyed to see a suspect die.

"I couldn't get a positive ID!" Peter announced to them as he entered the conference room.

One of the probies raised their hand.

"What does that mean?" he asked, tentatively and in confusion. Peter was too fired up to chew him out for believing in the death certificate of a well-known forger.

"There's a chance that Neal Caffrey is still alive," he responded, "the body was 'lost'. Rather convenient, don't you think? So, we're keeping the 'James Bonds' case open, get out there and figure out Caffrey's next target!"

Agents scrambled to follow his orders while Jones and Bryce remained where they were.

"Nice work, Agent Burke," Bryce praised Peter. He really hoped the agent was right.


	30. FrFllSwp - Free Fall Swap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Guest on fanfiction.net:  
>  _Maybe you can do one where Peter finds out about Bryce by Neal and him switching places durning the time he was arrested in free fall ___

**Free Fall Swap**

* * *

Neal's face was plastered on the cover of every newspaper. His escape had gotten him more publicity than his arrest.

It made the FBI look bad but Peter could care less. Right now, he was focused on finding Neal before Fowler did. He couldn't do much from the office, where OPR were watching his every move so, he went home.

"Still haven't found Neal. We got a detail outside," he commented, a little irked at the FBI for wasting resources watching his house.

"I noticed," El greeted him in a distracted way. She kept glancing towards the kitchen door and Peter had the luck to notice a shadow moving beyond it.

"He's in the kitchen, isn't he?" Peter questioned in a sigh. He spent ages trying to figure out where Neal would go and the fool ran straight for his house. Didn't he know how much trouble he could get El in? "Please tell me you didn't help him sneak in."

"I wouldn't have had to sneak him in if there weren't those people sitting at our house," El said in an innocent manner, although Peter could hear flickers of the same irked feeling he had.

"You lied to the FBI!"

"Honey, I did not lie to the FBI. There was just a lot of milk and cookies and pleasant, distracting conversation while Neal slipped around the back."

"That's adding and abetting, El!" Peter hissed to her, hoping that the agents outside hadn't bugged his home.

"Just listen to him," El said, disappearing into the kitchen. A sheepish Neal walked out a few moments later. Peter narrowed his eyes at him and suppressed the urge to cuff him and hear him out back at the FBI.

"Five minutes."

As Neal explained that someone had set him up and were watching the Burke's house, Peter got on board with the plan to clear Neal's name. He was also burning with fury that Fowler thought it was okay to illegally bug his house. Peter was going to show him just who he was messing with and just how the justice system worked.

"But, you can't just walk around New York without getting caught," Peter sighed, wondering how they would solve this.

Neal smirked and passed him a burner phone.

"Don't worry about me," he said, "there's someone taking a chance on the fact that I'm innocent." Peter raised his eyebrows in surprise. He was upset that he hadn't really considered it until he had a chance to talk to Neal and that someone else had more faith in his CI than he did but, at the same time, he suspected that Neal had conned an innocent person.

"My number's in there and I'll call you if I find anything." With that said, Neal left.

Peter didn't like it when Fowler walked into his office the next morning. The man gave off an aura of corruption and Peter had to swallow back his anger.

"Guess what, Burke? Turns out my men are more efficient than yours," he said with that self-serving smile which made Peter's skin crawl.

His words did make him curious though. Peter stood up and followed him out to the bullpen.

And his heart stopped at the sight of Neal Caffrey in chains.

"We found him," Fowler said in a pleased manner, "and it only took us one day." Peter glared at him for the subtle jab about how it took him over three years to catch Neal then, he looked down at Neal, worried. However, there was something off. Neal didn't even acknowledge him, his cold blue eyes scanning the room like everyone was an enemy.

Peter went back into his office and hurriedly searched his bag for the phone Neal gave him. He didn't really understand why but, he felt the need to confirm that it was really Neal down there. He hit the speed dial and waited with his heart in his throat.

It dialled and rang. And rang.

"Hey Peter," Neal greeted in a pleasant manner which made Peter feel a little sick with relief. He stood at the window wall of his office and watch the Neal down in the bullpen be pulled away to interrogation. "I see you've met my twin."

"Neal, you can't just hire a double to take your place!" Peter scolded. He knew that the double would get called out sooner or later and that it would make Fowler look like a fool so he wasn't too mad about it.

Maybe he just had faith that Neal knew what he was doing, for once.

"Not just a double, my twin. My literal twin. His name is Bryce and I hope you'll take care of him."

"Neal, you cannot switch out of our deal by using your twin!" Peter scolded, this time a little scared that Neal had conned him and was going to run while they were occupied with Bryce.

"Relax, I'm not going anywhere," Neal said, "Bryce is the guy I told you about yesterday. He believes I'm innocent so, he's going to distract the FBI's manhunt for me while we solve this case."

Peter sighed in relief. Neal wasn't going to run. Now all they had to do was solve the case and things could go back to normal. Hopefully.

Solve the case... "Neal, meet me at the store, let's figure out how you allegedly pulled this off."

* * *

They managed to find a tunnel from the scene of the crime, to a street camera, to an image of their real crook and finally to the stolen diamond necklace.

Meanwhile, Fowler managed to get nothing from Bryce. When news of the arrest reached them, Bryce finally suggested that they take his fingerprints and revealed that he was not Neal.

He took great pleasure in pointing out every flaw in Fowler's actions; the first being that he didn't have Bryce fingerprinted, the second being that he didn't ask a single question about the location of the original necklace and the third was that he kept talking down to him.

Bryce was even annoyed enough to put on a bit of a show and bow to Fowler as he left the interrogation room.

"So, trust and verify?" he questioned Peter and Neal who were standing behind Neal's desk and having a hushed discussion.

"What?" Peter questioned with a confused expression.

"How do you DO that?" Neal asked in exasperation.

Bryce smirked and said that he would never tell. He knew that Neal would find the bug hidden on his desk, eventually. So, he turned to Peter.

"Bryce Larkin," he introduced himself, shaking the other agent's hand.

"Peter Burke," Peter responded a little mystified at meeting Neal's twin. It was like having another Neal, although this one didn't seem like the loose canon Neal was. He was more composed and almost at home in a office filled with agents. "So, Bryce, is your living more honest than Neal's?"

For some reason, Neal started laughing while Bryce gave a wry smile.

"Some people wouldn't say so. I'm an accountant at Manhattan Mutual."

"An accountant?" Peter said a surprised way. He raised his eyebrows at Diana who was listening over Bryce's shoulder. She looked just as mystified. Beside him, Neal also looked surprised.

"Here?" Neal squeaked, instantly attracting the attention of the office. No one had ever heard Neal Caffrey's voice go that high.

"Yeah. I was transferred in order to give my trainee a chance to shine."

"And you're okay with that?" Peter questioned as it was an odd reason to transfer. Especially to another city, as he guessed from Neal's surprise.

"Well, yeah." Bryce shrugged. "He's one of the best people I know but, he wouldn't be able to be great unless I left. I believe he'll be amazing without my shadow." He sounded wistful.

"Wow. You really care about people's accounts that much?" Jones questioned in a combination of sarcastic and suspicious.

"No," Bryce responded in a slightly offended way, "I care more about giving my friend a chance to succeed."

"Well, I'm sure El and I would love to have you around for dinner," Peter suggested with a smile. He choose to ignore the offended flash on Neal's face and the 'nos' he kept mouthing.

"As long as Neal comes, sure," Bryce responded and they both turned to stare at Neal as he sighed dramatically. Neal slumped and ran his hand through his hair.

"Fine," he mumbled.

"Come on, Neal," Bryce said, placing a hand on his shoulder which Neal immediately shrugged off. "We'll have time to catch up and I can meet your friends. It'll be fun."

"It'll be fun when I get to meet your friends," Neal grumbled.

"That's not how it works," Peter informed him in a hushed voice. He knew that from dinners with family and family-in-law. Neal sighed in a way that told Peter that he also knew that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember: this isn't the last one. Response to the next prompt will be posted under a new story in the collection.


End file.
